It's easy to overthink things and feel overwhelmed (curling up in a ball). Then you avoid thinking about them, or conveniently forget, come up with excuses, etc. You develop an avoidance strategy for dealing with it. I know this can go on for years because I've done it myself. But if you just pick out one thing and completely focus on that it can get you going, then the other things start to seem a bit more manageable, or at least not so intimidating.