Do you ever feel like you are stuck, paralyzed about a decision or unsure what choice to make?
Whether you are stuck in career decisions, relationship ruts, exercise slump, family matters or overall mental funk, it happens to the best of us.
When we are stuck, it feels like things are immovable, static and sometimes even hopeless. You may lose direction and feel like you are completely off-track on your way to achieving your goals and dreams. The good news is, it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Oftentimes getting unstuck is as simple as moving your body or shifting your mindset a bit. Other times you may need a little helping hand. All we need to do is create a little movement to see things in a new way, change our attitude and discover new insights. Know that it can and will get better if you make some changes.
Today, we want to share the strategies that helped us creating change in our lives to get unstuck and hope they can be just as helpful for you. Here are our TOP 10 strategies to getting unstuck.
#1 Be Honest with Yourself
We all have to deal with self-sabotaging thoughts and behavior from time to time, whether we do it consciously or subconsciously. Most of the time this self-sabotage is because of deeply rooted limiting beliefs and fears. Whenever you get stuck and aren’t able to move forward to achieve your goals, it is because there is a discrepancy between what you say you want and what you actually dream about. Dig deep and get honest with yourself. What is it that you are trying to accomplish? Is it something you REALLY want or is it something you think you ‘should’ want. There is a huge difference.
#2 Change Up Your Daily Routine
We are creatures of habit. It is in our human nature to run on auto-pilot for most of our days. If you find yourself stuck, try to switch up your daily routine. Maybe get up a little bit earlier in the morning to have time to hit the gym or walk to work rather than taking the train. Quit hitting the snooze button so you can enjoy your morning coffee at home rather than having it on the run. Start a meditation practice. Make time to spend quality time with family and friends. Take up a new hobby. Sign up for a language class. Incorporate something new into your daily routine. Switching things up allows you to access different parts of your brain that can increase your awareness and spark your creativity.
#3 Ask for Help
A lot of us feel like we can do everything alone. But no one ever does. Every successful person has a great team to help them achieve their goals and dreams. It is important that you remember to ask for help when you need it. There is nothing wrong with asking for support, it’s actually the smart thing to do. Find someone who has the expertise in the area you are stuck and have trouble finding a solution and share your challenges with them. Chances are, they might just have the advice you need to get some clarity. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel all by yourself. Build on the experience of other people and get successful.
#4 Take Action Every Day
Even if you don’t see any immediate progress, make sure that you take action every single day. However small it may be, as long as you are moving in the direction of your dream, you are moving in the right direction. It can be a little tricky, because those little things that inch you closer to reaching your goals, are just as easy not to do because they don’t seem like a big deal in the moment. Remember, it’s the small things, the ones that seem insignificant in the moment, that will add up over time and before you realize it, your goals have been accomplished.
#5 See Challenges as an Opportunity
A lot of times, all you need to see your challenge through a new lense is a little shift in your perception. When we focus on the negative and what’s wrong and that we are stuck, we will only perpetuate more of the same negativity. But if you can focus on what’s right about your situation or can see the lesson you can take away, you will see the opportunities that you have right now and this learning and growing will give you the wisdom to overcome any obstacle that comes your way.
#6 Get in Water
We’re pretty sure that one day science will be able to explain this to us, but for know, rely on our personal experience that something magical happens that helps you to get unstuck when you bring your issues into water. Maybe it has something to do with when you were in your mother’s womb. Whatever it is, water gets things flowing again. So go for a swim, take a shower or a bubble bath, it may even work for you to just listen to the sound of water, whether you can find a water fall or fountain in real life or put on a soundtrack on your iPod.
#7 Sit Outside Without Technology
We know this is a huge challenge in our modern society, but take one full hour to just sit outside and observe your surroundings. Can you feel the wind blowing? Can you hear the birds chirping? Can you hear yourself breathing? Pay attention to the cars and people in the background. See how many noises you can recognize and let your imagination run as to what causes those noises. Start by doing this once a week and slowly work your way up to doing it every single day. One of the reasons we get stuck and can’t make a decision is because we are distracted by so many things. If you give yourself a break from your everyday noises and tune into your surroundings, you will be able to make the decisions you need to make.
#8 Exercise
Yoga teaches mind over matter and can open you up to active procedures that synch you with your goals and dreams. But it doesn’t have to be yoga. Whatever physical activity you choose, once you start moving and loosen up your body, you will start to open up and free your mind and get your emotions moving. A lot of athletes report entering a flow state when they are moving their bodies or feel like they are in the zone. But you don’t have to be a professional athlete to get the benefits of moving your body, any form of physical exercise will get you to change your state of mind and get your creative juices going. Even just walking around the block or doing some simple stretches at your desk. So whenever you feel like you are being stuck in a situation, get up and move.
#9 Pay Attention
Listen to your body and feel the pulls and nudges and then follow them. Your gut feeling is a great indicator as to what you really want and which direction you should go. If you are talking to a friend, listen in between the lines for what he or she is really telling you. You can even try this when you are watching a YouTube video or TV. The important thing is that you really pay attention to what is happening. Whatever your attention is drawn to, listen to that guidance. You’ll know what to do to get unstuck, if you can tune in to your body’s reaction. Even if it doesn’t make any sense at the moment, check in with yourself and pay attention to how you feel.
#10 Take Control of Your Life
Remember, you have control over what decisions you make, what goals and dreams you want to pursue, how you react to people and situations, how you deal with obstacles… You have the power to create your life and move in any direction you want to go. There will always be obstacles and setbacks, but if you take control over your life and who you want to be, it won’t matter. You will never be able to control your circumstances, but if you are persistent and patient, you can control your destiny.
Getting stuck is inevitable, staying there isn’t. It’s perfectly normal to plateau in any area of our life because our human body is wired to adapt to the things in our life. However, there are many possibilities to rid yourself of feeling stuck. Become aware of the traps of getting stuck and use our strategies to drive success.
YOU CAN CHOOSE TO STAND STILL OR TO MOVE FORWARD. WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked