Do something

It’s more pain to do nothing than something.

George Herbert, “Proverbs” in The Complete English Works, 282

Two thoughts:

1. We hate feeling helpless. Especially if someone we love is suffering from something we can’t fix. Finding creative and productive ways to engage can be a healthy way to process our pain.
2. Procrastination will ultimately cause more pain than taking a bite out of the paralyzingly large task in front of us. Sometimes, when you don’t know where to start, and you feel that panicky feeling–look for the smallest task that will give you some sense (no matter how small) that you did something instead of nothing. You can’t eat an elephant in a day–but you can at least take a bite.