When we feel anxious about a goal, our instinct is to avoid it entirely. But avoidance feeds anxiety. The task grows larger in our minds with each day we don't face it.
There's a way to break this cycle. It takes 30 seconds.
Notice your body right now—the familiar tightness that comes with thinking about what you've been avoiding?
The technique is called "touching the task."
You don't have to complete anything. You don't even have to start properly. You just have to touch it.
Want to exercise? Put on your shoes. That's it.
Want to write? Open the document. That's it.
Want to meditate? Sit down. That's it.
The hardest part of any habit isn't the doing—it's the starting. When you remove the pressure to complete, starting becomes possible.
And here's the magic: often, once you've started, momentum carries you forward naturally. The shoe-wearer often walks. The document-opener often types.
But even if they don't—even if you put on shoes and take them right back off—you've still broken the avoidance pattern. You've proven you can face the thing.
Your 30-second action:
Pick one thing you've been avoiding. Right now, just touch it. Open it. Hold it. Look at it.
Then stop if you want. You've already won.
When anxiety keeps you stuck in avoidance loops, Calm Loop Toolkit can help you find a way out.