What Winston Churchill, Psychology, and Everyday Life Can Teach Us
When life becomes overwhelming, our instincts often tell us to wait.
Wait until you feel motivated.
Wait until your energy returns.
Wait until your anxiety settles.
Wait until your depression lifts.
Only then, we tell ourselves, will it make sense to begin.
It sounds reasonable.
Unfortunately, it is often the opposite of what helps.
One of the most consistent findings in psychology is that action and emotion do not always move in the order we expect. We tend to believe that feeling better comes first and action follows. In reality, small, meaningful actions frequently come first, allowing better feelings to emerge over time.
This does not mean depression or anxiety can be solved simply by “keeping busy.” Mental illnesses are real medical conditions that often require professional support, therapy, medication, or a combination of treatments. But research does suggest something remarkably hopeful: waiting for motivation before taking action can unintentionally keep us stuck.
Sometimes movement creates the conditions that motivation has been waiting for.
Winston Churchill and the “Black Dog”
Few historical figures illustrate this idea more vividly than Winston Churchill.
Churchill, who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, frequently referred to periods of profound sadness as his “black dog.” Historians continue to debate whether he met the modern diagnostic criteria for clinical depression, and no retrospective diagnosis can be made with certainty. What is well documented is that Churchill experienced recurring episodes of low mood throughout much of his life and used the phrase “black dog” to describe them.
Rather than surrendering entirely to those difficult periods, Churchill immersed himself in activities that demanded his attention. He painted thousands of works, wrote extensively, landscaped the grounds of his home at Chartwell, and became passionately interested in bricklaying.
This was not a publicity stunt. It became a genuine craft.
At Chartwell, Churchill built walls, cottages, and garden structures by hand. In a 1928 letter, he joked that he had spent his days producing “200 bricks and 2,000 words.” His enthusiasm became so well known that the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers invited him to join as a bricklayer. Although political controversy eventually led the union to revoke his membership, the invitation itself reflected how seriously his craftsmanship was taken.
Churchill never claimed that laying bricks cured his emotional struggles.
What it appeared to do was give his mind somewhere constructive to go.
Why Physical Action Helps the Mind
Modern psychology offers several explanations for why activities like Churchill’s bricklaying can be beneficial.
Physical movement increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters associated with improved mood and well-being. Regular exercise has repeatedly been shown to reduce symptoms of mild to moderate depression and anxiety for many people, although it is not considered a replacement for professional treatment when needed.
The benefits, however, extend beyond exercise itself. Meaningful manual tasks engage attention.
When laying bricks, gardening, woodworking, knitting, painting, cooking, or repairing something, the mind becomes occupied with immediate, manageable problems.
Where should this brick go?
Is this level?
What is the next step?
The brain temporarily shifts away from endless rumination and toward solving real-world challenges.
Researchers studying behavioral activation—a well-established therapeutic approach for depression—have found that intentionally engaging in meaningful activities can help interrupt cycles of withdrawal, avoidance, and hopelessness. Rather than waiting to feel motivated, people begin with small actions that gradually rebuild momentum.
The action comes first.
The emotional shift often follows.
The Trap of Waiting
Consider how often we say things like:
“I’ll clean the house when I feel motivated.”
“I’ll go for a walk when I have more energy.”
“I’ll call my friend when I feel less anxious.”
“I’ll apply for the job when I feel more confident.”
The difficulty begins when motivation becomes a prerequisite for action. Depression frequently reduces motivation. Anxiety often discourages action. If we wait for those feelings to disappear before moving, we may unintentionally reinforce them.
Psychologists describe this as an avoidance cycle.
Feeling low leads to inactivity. Inactivity reduces opportunities for accomplishment, enjoyment, movement, and social connection. Life becomes smaller. The reduced activity often deepens the difficult emotions, making action feel even harder the next day. The cycle feeds itself.
Behavioral activation seeks to interrupt that cycle with manageable actions rather than dramatic transformations.
Small Actions Matter More Than Grand Plans
Notice what Churchill chose. He did not decide to build an entire village. He laid one brick.
Then another.
Then another.
The same principle appears throughout behavioral science. Large goals can feel overwhelming when we are emotionally struggling.
Small goals often feel possible.
Wash one dish.
Fold five pieces of laundry.
Walk to the end of the street.
Read one page.
Water one plant.
Reply to one email.
Stretch for five minutes.
These actions seem insignificant in isolation. Over time, they create something psychologists often call behavioral momentum. Action becomes slightly easier because action has already begun.
Progress Is Not Always Dramatic
One possibility is that many people abandon healthy habits because they expect immediate emotional rewards.
Go for one walk.
Still anxious.
Exercise twice.
Still tired.
Meditate for a week.
Still stressed.
It becomes tempting to conclude nothing is working.
Yet research consistently shows that many interventions improve well-being gradually rather than instantly. Just as physical strength develops over repeated training sessions, emotional resilience often develops through repeated experiences of taking action despite discomfort.
Progress is frequently quieter than we expect.
Some days it looks like getting out of bed.
Some days it looks like making dinner.
Some days it looks like sending the message you’ve been avoiding.
Those moments matter.
Movement Is Bigger Than Exercise
When people hear advice to “get moving,” they often picture intense workouts. Movement is much broader than that. Churchill found bricklaying meaningful. Someone else might garden. Another person may bake bread.
Others might organize a garage, learn woodworking, repair bicycles, sew clothing, paint, hike, dance, or volunteer.
The activity itself is often less important than its qualities.
It engages your attention.
It creates visible progress.
It gives your hands something to do.
It connects effort with tangible results.
There is something profoundly reassuring about watching a wall slowly rise because of your own work. That feeling extends far beyond construction.
Living Before You Feel Ready
Another way of looking at this is to recognize that much of life operates according to the same principle. People often wait to feel confident before speaking.
They wait to feel courageous before applying for opportunities.
They wait to feel worthy before dating.
They wait to feel creative before writing.
Yet confidence frequently develops after speaking. Courage develops after acting despite fear. Relationships develop after risking vulnerability. Writing develops after writing. Living itself rarely waits for certainty.
A Brick at a Time
Churchill’s bricklaying should not be romanticized as a cure for emotional suffering. His life remained extraordinarily complex, and historians continue to debate the nature and severity of his psychological struggles.
The lesson is not that everyone should build walls. It is that meaningful action can help steady a restless mind.
One brick.
One walk.
One conversation.
One page.
One meal.
One small decision repeated consistently can become the beginning of something much larger than it first appears. Sometimes we do not move because we feel better. Sometimes we begin to feel better because we moved.
Continue the Exploration
Many of us spend our lives waiting for the perfect emotional state before we begin living. We wait for confidence before taking risks, certainty before making decisions, and motivation before taking action. Yet awareness often grows through participation rather than preparation. We discover who we are not by thinking about life endlessly, but by engaging with it one step at a time.
If this article resonated with you, consider reading Proof That You’re God. The book explores how identity, fear, uncertainty, and awareness shape our experience of life—and why meaningful transformation often begins with the smallest actions rather than the biggest breakthroughs.
