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Ever feel like you’re in a rut? Unsure about how to make change? Waiting for that key ingredient to arrive before you move, only it never comes? We all get stuck now and then. Feeling stuck can be frustrating and depressing. Here are some mindset hacks to break out of your stuckness. See what ones work for you.
1.) “Stuck” is an illusion.
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The world moves constantly. Life moves in cycles. Fast/slow. Activity/rest. Day/night. Seasonal cycles. Monthly cycles. Stuckness can be seen as part of your life cycle. It is a temporary slowness, an energetic low. You’re not stuck when you’re asleep or resting. We need times of rest, rejuvenation & reflection. You can feel frustrated in those times or welcome and enjoy them. Stuckness is just a feeling. Like all feelings it comes and goes. Rest assured this, too, shall pass.
2.) Take responsibility.
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STOP blaming or finding excuses. In blaming someone or something for your situation you give up your power. There may, indeed, be obstacles, situations and circumstances you have no control over. Nevertheless, you still have the power to make changes in your life anytime you want. Focus on what you CAN do rather than what you can’t.
3.) Find meaning.
Your feelings of stuckness have a reason for existing. You can investigate that reason, learn from it and move forward. Allow yourself to feel “stuck” without judgment. No “shoulds”. No shame. Just observe. Feel your feelings as they rise and fall. Does any information land?
4.) Change it up.
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This feeling of stuck is doing you a favour. It’s showing you that something in your life isn’t working. If you’ve been busy nonstop, racing around trying to achieve your aspirations, stop. Be still and see what lands. On the other hand, if you’ve been still, waiting for opportunities to come and they haven’t, start moving. Take a small step in any direction. See how it feels. Step back, sideways or forward and test the water. Feel where you are. Is it better or worse than where you were? Figure it out, decide the direction you’re going to move in next and take another step.
5.) Everyone feels stuck from time to time.
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Maybe this moment can help you be more compassionate and understanding of others who are experiencing a form of “stuckness”. Maybe you can help someone else. You just might help yourself in the process. Like the saying goes, you can’t splash perfume on others without getting a bit on yourself.
6.) Accept & Trust.
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Feel free to stop trying to change what is. The Universe will open the right door at the perfect time. This isn’t it. Maybe you’re being protected from something. Maybe there’s something even better than you can imagine in the works. Can you trust and accept divine timing?
7.) Find joy.
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Don’t let the anxieties you feel in one area of your life prevent you from enjoying other aspects of being alive, like sunsets, music, good food, friendships, whatever. Forget about being stuck and go have fun.
In the end, remember that you give meaning to your life experiences. You can let your stuckness feel insurmountable or you can consider it a moment of learning. Your decision. Best wishes with it.
