Small Windows of Courage: How to Use Them When They Appear

Have you ever had a brief moment of clarity and courage about something you’ve been avoiding? A fleeting window where change suddenly feels possible, before doubt and hesitation rush back in?

At Televero Health, we’ve noticed something important about how people finally take steps toward healing after long periods of delay: it rarely happens through a grand, sustained burst of courage. Instead, it happens in small windows – brief openings where something shifts just enough to make movement possible. Understanding how to recognize and use these windows can be the difference between continued waiting and meaningful change.

Maybe you’ve experienced these windows yourself. Maybe you’ve had moments where you felt suddenly clear about needing help, where reaching out briefly seemed possible, where the usual voices of doubt or procrastination temporarily quieted. And maybe those moments passed without action, leaving you back in familiar patterns of hesitation and delay.

These small windows of courage are precious opportunities. They’re like brief clearings in a fog that’s kept you from seeing your path. They don’t typically announce themselves dramatically, and they rarely last long. They might arrive in quiet moments – while driving, in the shower, upon waking, or after a particularly difficult day. They might come as a simple thought: “Maybe I should finally try therapy” or “I can’t keep doing this alone” or even just “Something needs to change.”

What makes these windows so valuable is that they temporarily bypass the overthinking, rationalizations, and fears that usually keep us stuck. They offer a moment of emotional clarity that’s unfiltered by our habitual hesitations. They allow us to briefly see what we truly need, without all the usual static that drowns out that knowledge.

But because these windows are often brief, many people miss the opportunity they present. By the time they’ve thought through all the details, considered all the potential obstacles, or waited for an even stronger feeling of certainty, the window has closed. The fog of doubt has returned. The moment of courage has passed.

We see this pattern frequently with the people we work with – those who took action during a small window of courage and those who let such windows close without response. The difference isn’t that some people have more or bigger windows. It’s that some have learned to recognize these openings and take even one small action while they’re present.

So how can you make better use of these small windows when they appear in your own life?

First, learn to recognize them. Start noticing when you have moments of unusual clarity about needing change or support. They might feel like a brief lifting of weight, a sudden perspective shift, or simply a quiet knowing that cuts through your usual noise. These moments don’t always feel positive – sometimes they arrive through frustration or hitting a temporary wall – but they offer a clarity that’s different from your habitual thinking.

Second, prepare for these windows in advance. One reason people don’t act during these brief openings is that they don’t know what action to take when the moment arrives. If you’ve had windows of courage about seeking help before, consider doing some preliminary research now, while not in that window. Save a phone number, bookmark a website, or write down exactly what small step you’d take if the window opens again. This removes the need to figure everything out during the brief moment of clarity.

Third, lower the bar for what counts as meaningful action. During a small window of courage, you don’t need to solve everything or make permanent decisions. You just need to take one step that moves you from complete inaction to any form of movement. This might be as simple as sending an email inquiry, making a single phone call, or even just telling someone you trust about what you’ve been considering. These small actions matter because they transform internal clarity into external commitment, making it more likely you’ll continue when the window temporarily closes.

Fourth, expect and plan for the window to close. Know that the clarity and courage you feel in these moments will likely be temporary, and that’s completely normal. Your doubts, fears, and hesitations will probably return. But if you’ve taken even one small action during the window, you’ve created a bridge that can help you maintain movement even when the initial clarity fades.

We’ve seen this approach change lives. The client who had been considering therapy for years, who finally sent an email during a small window of courage while waiting for their morning coffee to brew. The couple who saved our number in their phones during a good moment, making it possible to make the call during a brief window of clarity after an argument. The person who simply told a friend “I’m thinking about getting help” during a rare moment of openness, creating external accountability that supported them when their internal resolve wavered.

What all these people discovered is that they didn’t need sustained, heroic courage to begin healing. They just needed to use the small windows that were already appearing in their lives – to recognize them when they opened, to have a plan ready, to take one simple action before the window closed again.

Your own windows of courage may be brief and easily missed. But they contain everything you need to begin moving toward the help you’ve been considering. The key isn’t waiting for a bigger window – it’s using the small ones you already have.

Ready to use your next window of courage? Save this link for when that moment comes.