Getting Unstuck
Feeling stuck can manifest in many ways, whether through depression, anxiety, procrastination, or life transitions. Each type of stuck feeling presents unique challenges, but with tailored strategies, you can find ways to move forward. This guide explores different types of feeling stuck and offers ways for you to regain momentum and purpose in your life.
Here are some strategies for each type of feeling stuck:
1. Depression Stuck
Characteristics: Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. Difficulty in finding motivation and energy.
Manifestation: Feeling like everything is an effort, struggling to get out of bed, or having difficulty completing even simple tasks. A sense of being weighed down or trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts.
Give this a try: - This might sound a little nutty, but I want you to engage in activities you once enjoyed or found meaningful, even if you don't feel like it. This can actually help break the cycle of inactivity and improve mood over time. Try my 10 minute rule. Too overwhelmed to read? Read for 10 minutes. Too stressed for the gym? Try it for 10 minutes. Too tired at the alarm? Get out of bed for 10 minutes.
2. Anxious Stuck
Characteristics: Excessive worry, fear, and nervousness about future events or outcomes. Physical symptoms like restlessness, tension, and fatigue.
Manifestation: Paralyzed by fear of making the wrong decision, overthinking every detail, and avoiding situations or tasks due to anxiety. Feeling trapped in a loop of "what if" scenarios.
Give this a try: - Identify what your anxious thoughts are. Put them to paper. Next to each thought, challenge them. “Is this thought actually a possibility or am I ruminating (spinning, looping) on this as a way to feel in control?” Is ruminating on this serving me or hindering me from participating in my day / life?” Anxiety tells us we have to keep the plates spinning. The reality is, we have to practice the art of letting them go.
3. Procrastination Stuck
Characteristics: Delaying tasks, often to the point of feeling overwhelmed. Difficulty in starting or completing projects.
Manifestation: Constantly putting off important tasks, feeling guilty or stressed about the delay, and experiencing a growing sense of dread as deadlines approach. Procrastination often leads to a cycle of avoidance and increased pressure.
Give this a try: - Sometimes we just cannot get out of our own way and we see things are huge tasks to overcome. Try breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps and setting specific, realistic deadlines. Realistic deadlines are those we can actually reach, not ones we think we should. Have a place you can check things off. It will feel good to see the list begin to get broken down. It’s ok to take breaks in between. Just keep going - one manageable step at a time.
4. Indecision Stuck
Characteristics: Difficulty making decisions, often due to fear of making the wrong choice or overanalyzing options.
Manifestation: Feeling paralyzed by the need to choose, constantly seeking reassurance, and second-guessing decisions. This can lead to missed opportunities and increased stress.
Give this a try: - This is where the age old pros and cons list can be beneficial. Not all decisions are so black and white. Put your competing thoughts to paper and see what actually shakes out. Sometimes the pros way outweigh the cons. And sometimes one con is so big it doesn’t matter how many pros you have. Or if it’s a financial decision, a similar tool is a cost-benefit analysis. This helps you look at the advantages to a purchase (benefits) versus the disadvantages (the cost). Is it worth it?
5. Life Transition Stuck
Characteristics: Struggling with major life changes such as moving, changing jobs, or ending a relationship. Feeling uncertain about the future.
Manifestation: Difficulty adjusting to new circumstances, feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of change, and experiencing a sense of loss or disorientation.
Give this a try: - Change is hard and sometimes we can’t quite seem to work our way through it. This is where a visual map of your past, present, and future goals can give you some perspective. When we first look at our past goals, we can see what we’ve accomplished and overcome previously. Then we add in what we are currently working through (present), and what goals would we like to work towards in the future. Change is hard, but sometimes we can put a few bumpers around it.
6. Burnout Stuck
Characteristics: Physical and emotional exhaustion due to prolonged stress, often related to work or caregiving responsibilities.
Manifestation: Feeling drained and unable to cope with daily demands, losing motivation, and experiencing decreased performance. There may also be feelings of cynicism and detachment.
Give this a try: - People in burnout hate the answer to helping burnout because to them it sounds impossible. The only way to improve burnout is rest. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be literal it can also be: delegation of tasks, boundary-setting with those who only take energy (don’t give it back), and turning your ‘yes’ into a more sacred response. Most people with burnout are also the most loving. They say yes too often to others leaving no room for themselves. No is not unloving. Use it. Burnout cannot change unless you are changing the habits or choices that continue to contribute to it.
10. Grief Stuck
Characteristics: Struggling to move forward after a significant loss. Feeling stuck in the grieving process.
Manifestation: Inability to find joy or meaning in life after a loss, feeling overwhelmed by sadness, and difficulty in accepting the reality of the loss.
Give it a try: - Grief is the hardest stuck because it’s end is not as easily measured, if it ever comes. Instead of trying to remove the grief, work on removing the stuck part of it. Tools such as journaling, creating picture books/scrapbooks to enjoy memories, and talking with love ones can help you navigate / cope with grief. Depending on the level of stuckness, grief is often a place I encourage people to find additional resources like therapy for support.
These are different ways you can support whatever stuck(s) you are in. And. Sometimes in life things get too sticky or too tricky - talking to someone to can help you navigate the stuckness in a different way. If you have found yourself in a place where a lending hand (ear) would be helpful, I’m here to listen.
