Dealing with Fear Paralysis

You know the feeling…you plan to do something, set a goal, then the time comes…and you freeze up with fear or panic. You feel paralyzed, ridden with anxiety, your mouth goes dry, your courage wilts, and in haste, you decide to put it off for another day, another time. Then, the next time turns to tomorrow, and to later, next week, next month…in a cycle of avoidance.

Fear often makes me procrastinate. This pattern repeats and repeats and repeats…I am left struggling with tackling the task, not later…but now, today. I can go for hours, days, weeks, even months, paralyzed by fear and anxiety, immobile and making an endless array of excuses.

Psalm 55:5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

The fears in my heart and mind are irrational, convincing me that completing the task will cause me distress or suffering. It feels unsafe and poses too much of a risk.

So, what helps? How do I get myself out of the parked car syndrome? Well, first, I have come to realize that dealing with this fear and its resulting procrastination all by myself without seeking help only succeeds in increasing anxiety. My mind is locked up because the fear is unrelenting. Our human strength is not powerful enough in ourselves to overcome a mind-lock. It’s like facing the giant Goliath. He was so intimidating that the Israelites all trembled for 40 days. David, however, had faith that the giant was no match for God’s power. He did not try to defeat the giant by his own strength; rather, God anointed him to stand against him in His strength.

Fear is a Weapon That Seeks to Halt Our Progress

Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Overwhelming, fearful, and anxious thoughts need to be contested. Oftentimes, I pour out my anxieties to my therapist. This helps to uncover the root of the problem, for she helps me process and overcome that fear, turning the red light to green. Taking my anti-psychotic medication keeps my mind stable and restores rational thoughts.

Psalm 102:8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

Sometimes we are stuck because our minds are peppered with threats by a spirit of fear. We must disarm the fear thoughts by the power of the Spirit and spiritual weapons. I turn to prayer warriors who contend before the throne of God to cast down the oppressors and overthrow their strongholds. After He delivers and sets my mind free, rational thoughts return, and the task no longer seems so threatening.

Psalm 18:17-19 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Chaos Seeks to Cause Confusion

Other ways I tackle this fear paralysis involve environmental alterations. If my house is in disarray and stuff is thrown here, there, and everywhere, then the spirit of chaos reigns. I must put my surroundings in order, removing that spirit and restoring peace to my home. Then calmness can replace the chaos that disturbed my mental processes. If the anxiety keeps mounting, I sometimes remove myself from the environment, getting away for a few hours in the day or evening. Then I seek God diligently, casting every fear and every anxiety on Him, until a sense of calm and strength returns to my mind, for God not only listens but He sustains us in our confusion and empowers us to see things more clearly, restoring us to a sense of hope, faith, and trust.

Psychiatrist Tara Sparks remarked that those with ADHD fail to be consistent because they lack the attention span to diligently follow a cycle where nothing changes. So, she recommended changing it up, varying the routine, background, or scenery.

Avoiding necessary tasks does not make them go away. They only loom like a mountain intimidating me. Can you relate? Meanwhile, I waste so much time on distracting activities. I check few goals off on my goal list, and wonder, what happened?

Psalm 20:1-2 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

I have discovered tools that help reinforce my consistency, such as:

A reminder app
Using a timer
An Echo AI device
Implementing time-management techniques
Using goal-oriented apps
Establishing a daily routine
Also, rewarding myself for keeping a commitment schedule makes the incentive stronger.

Psalm 121:2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

God Restores us to Order

You don’t have to give up and resign yourself when paralyzed by irrational fears; help is a prayer away. God is faithful to send you the help you need. Conquering procrastination requires time, effort, and perseverance, but it is achievable. Just have a spirit of determination; say, “I won’t resign myself to hopelessness; I will have the faith that this fear paralysis cannot stop me from fulfilling my destiny, for God is my help and my deliverer.” Amen.