People get stuck in grief. People get stuck in affairs. People get stuck in resentments. People get stuck in depression. People get stuck in their fears. People get stuck in a lack of action. People get stuck in being self-absorbed.
People get stuck in feeling life lacks meaning.
Before you can get yourself un-stuck it’s important to understand what’s valuable about being stuck. Ever been stuck at home in a snowstorm? The beauty of the piles of white snow combined with the deliciousness of an unplanned day are familiar pleasures. Being stuck can be comfortable in it’s familiarity, like wearing a favorite old sweater. Not being stuck means the risk of uncertainty and not knowing.
So whatever first steps you take into uncertainty have to be bearable. You can’t get overwhelmed and yet you do have to embrace movement. Movement is the opposite of being stuck. So find some small steps that are manageable that will add movement.
Brainstorm all sizes of ideas; from small ones like finding time to take a bath, medium-sized like starting to exercise to large that capture some dreams. Spend 15 to 25 minutes doing this & then pick one or two to try.
Depressed and trapped at home? Go to the library and find an audio book to listen to. It can be very comforting to be read to. Making the choice to walk to get in the car, the choice of hardback or audio, the choice of what title – all are choices for movement.
Don’t underestistimate the satisfaction that can come from small accomplishments. A pile of clean laundry, re-potting a couple of plants, seeing a movie you remembered that you wanted to see, a phone call to a friend that starts by you saying “I just feel like listening, what’s new”
Resolve to continue making small new choices every day. If you’re stuck in making bad choices try keeping a log of positive and negative choices every day. Try to increase the pile of good choices, anything that is life-enhancing.
Scientist Christopher Hsee at the University of Chicago has determined that being busy makes you more satisfied. He said that “ . . . even if there is no point to what you are doing, you will feel better for it.” Follow this link to learn more: http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/07/were-happier-when-busy-but-our-instinct.html
Idleness can lead to an enormous amount of obsessing and feeling even more stuck. Heal yourself through an honest assessment of the power of stuckness vs. the small steps of movement. Don’t hesitate to interrupt the false power of feelings.
