If you feel stuck, know that you’re not alone. It’s a nearly universal human experience to get stuck at some point in life. But it doesn’t have to be permanent. You can find your agency and move through this period of feeling stuck.
When you are stuck, the most important thing is to take a step back and look at what’s happening. Often the cause of feeling stuck has nothing to do with you. It’s a result of the environment around you or something that happened in your past. For example, you may be unable to move forward in your career because of a negative workplace culture, or you might feel overwhelmed by a health condition. You can’t change your past, but you can learn from it.
It’s a common mistake to focus on what feels bad about the situation you are in. This will generate a lot of stress, low self-worth and deplete your sense of agency. Instead, focus on the things that make you feel good about it. This will help you to see the possibilities and find motivation to move through the stuck feeling.
Another common reason for feeling stuck is a lack of a compelling future vision. When you spend time journaling about what you want your life to look like two years from now, or booking yourself on a workshop to explore an area of interest to you, it can give you something to look forward to and reframe the situation that is making you feel stuck.
When you feel stuck, it is also important to remember that this is a normal part of the writing process. Even the most experienced authors experience writer’s block at some point. If you are writing a paper, try taking a break and re-writing the next section by hand. It can help to clarify the message that you are trying to convey as well.
If you’re feeling stuck in your career, try to think of how you got into the position you are in now. Were you following your passions, or were you doing what other people wanted you to do? This is a crucial question to ask yourself, as it’s one of the biggest reasons that people end up in situations they don’t like.
The best way to get unstuck is to take a small step and then another, and keep moving forward. If you need to, reframe your perspective by asking “what’s the smallest possible step I could take?” It’s easy to get entangled in the stuck feeling and forget that there are ways to make progress. Don’t try to solve this problem by yourself – it’s easier and faster to get unstuck with support from others. Join a group, set an accountability partner or find your wolf pack. It’s not just more fun – it’s more effective as well!