What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?

You’ve very likely had the opportunity to experience what it's like to feel stuck.

If so, you already know that when you’re feeling stuck, nothing is working. You are failing, and/or things are falling apart. All of your efforts are in vain. You can’t seem to get out of this rut you’ve somehow landed in. You feel frustration, discomfort, anxiety, stress, invalidation, and worried about what will happen if you stay stuck.

Worst of all, there is no manual or set of instructions on getting unstuck. You just don’t know what to do. How do you make this time of being stuck go away?

‘Stuck’ tends to show up when things need to change.

Your spirit and body might be at an impasse, or not on speaking terms. Your overactive mind is running the show, dragging you around, and there’s no peace to be found, inside or out. Things are falling apart in your world, nothing is working and what’s more, you can’t make it work, no matter what you do.

Why does this happen? It you’re trying to create your life based on someone else’s ideas about how it ‘should’ be, you’ll get stuck. Or you’re trying to create your life from an old out of date picture or idea which doesn’t work anymore, so you’re stuck. You are being shown that you can’t create anything new from the old way of being.

Being stuck can be one of the greatest opportunities you have to learn, grow, and transform yourself. Stuck energy is just that, energy that isn’t moving. Getting ‘stuck’ happens when there is energy inside of you that’s not moving. Due to this, you are unable to move forward, or even sideways, and you are stuck. Your energy is caught.

Stuck cannot be solved, in fact, you may have gotten stuck from trying to solve the unsolvable to begin with.

Stuck is telling you something has to change, and that something is you. The old way of being and doing hit its expiration date, which means that you get to evolve. Now. Believe it or not, nasty as it feels, stuck is your friend. Stuck is telling you that it’s time to change: change your habits, tactics, ways of thinking, beliefs, energy. Stuck wants you to know that you graduated, and it’s time for a new way of being.

Except you don’t know what that is yet, and stuck feels like it’s here to stay. You are not amused. I don’t blame you, having been Stuck with a capital S myself, from time to time. I know that it can all change quickly, and then suddenly you are free, energized, and happy again.

So, how do you get the energy moving again, when you’re feeling stuck?

Here are a few ideas on dealing with being stuck:

1) Try to not take it personally. You are not a huge loser failure. You are stuck, and it will pass. Do your best to enjoy being stuck. (I know I know, that doesn’t seem possible. However, I can attest that it is.) Experience your stuckness. Say out loud, “I am so stuck!”. Then smile, laugh out loud. Say, “I wonder how I’m going to get unstuck?”. Laugh again. And, “I know I will get unstuck soon!”. You might already be feeling better.

2) What do you need to let go of? This includes relationships, old unfinished projects, agreements that no longer suit you, ways of thinking. If you are holding onto the past, you can get stopped in your tracks. Be honest with yourself here. Stuck will help you to let go of what you’re done with, and what no longer serves you.

3) Exercise! Get your body moving. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s doubly important to exercise, and the worst thing that can happen is you feel better from moving. If being stuck has made you feel sluggish, exercise will clear that out.

4) Breathe. Practice conscious breathing, and you will calm down. If your overactive mind is taking you down some dark alleys, sit, close your eyes, and breathe into your body. Listen to and experience the power of your breath.

5) Tell yourself the truth. Feel your own truth. Listen to your heart, to your wisdom, to yourself. Is there something you are avoiding? This may be where the stuck energy is.

6) Clean your home, office, car. Get rid of the dust, old out of date items, and anything you’ve forgotten you own and won’t miss when it’s gone.

7) Let go of the need to control. You cannot control your way out of stuck. Surrender is your best option. Meditation is a great technique to practice with getting unstuck, and letting go.

8) Go outside and play. Go for a walk, visit a garden, hug a tree. Pay attention to the natural world around you. Breathe in the earth. Ground yourself out in the park, step away from your problems. Do your best to let them go for a few minutes.

9) Perfection will get you stuck in a heartbeat. Allow yourself to make a mess, make mistakes, grow and learn. Perfection is no fun and gets in your way quickly.

10) Help others in need. Volunteer in your local homeless shelter, or go visit the elderly, or read to children at the library. Find a way to give back. By doing this, you will gain some perspective about how very fortunate you are already. You’ll also do some good in the world, which helps you get back on the road to happiness and well being.

• ©Kris Cahill
  Earth Image found on Morguefile, arrow/words added by Kris Cahill