“I feel stuck.” Have you ever said this to yourself at a time when you didn’t know what to do with your life, or where to go? It can feel completely debilitating not to be able to make a decision on how to spend the rest of your life, let alone the remainder of the day. Being stuck is a very common feeling, though, that all of us experience from time to time. Especially in today’s society that celebrates achievement and puts thoughts into our mind on what success should look like.
Rather than coming to a place of acceptance with feeling stuck, it’s easy to feel like we must force ourselves to ignore it and decide on something to do anyway, even if whatever we choose doesn’t quite resonate with us. This can lead to even more thoughts that cause us anxiety because we worry about not making the right choices.
Sometimes feeling stuck will feel like you can’t even muster up the energy to get off the couch and take a step toward changing whatever situation you feel stuck in. So rather than acknowledging that this may be life’s way of telling us that something in our lives is not working for us anymore, whether it’s a relationship, our job, or our hobbies, we tend to sit there and not make any choices at all. This resolves in us getting lost in our thoughts, over obsessing and worrying that we should be anywhere else except where we are. This overthinking can enhance the feeling of being stuck, so it becomes a vicious cycle that triggers depression and negative self-talk. You may actually have many things you’d like to accomplish. Still, when you feel stuck, you begin to experience confusion over why you are stuck, so instead, you feel ashamed and continue to procrastinate.
When we feel stuck, it is easy to think that something is wrong with us, so we criticize, judge, and shame ourselves, and as a result, our energy levels can drop, and we feel less free and driven to be ourselves. While it helps to identify what might be holding you back and making you feel this way, it can be challenging to figure out on your own.
If you want someone to talk to, or if you can’t figure it out on your own, there are professionals (like us) to help guide you. You are still strong and valuable if you ask for help.