by Nora Amar
It’s one of those days that turn into months of not knowing which day it is. The pandemic made that feeling worse. I call such a period of infinite lack of fuel for life, “being stuck.”
What Does “Being Stuck” Mean?
Being stuck appears to be a safe zone for me but has a negative impact on my future if I hang in there for longer than necessary. Thus, being able to get unstuck is a coping mechanism that I have developed over the years.
I view being stuck as either being bored or overstimulated. It’s that inability to find the balance to keep going, all while juggling the different challenges life throws at me.
To me, being bored means that I’m functioning on autopilot. Everything is running on the clock, I’m eating the same food, and I’m not feeling any pleasure. This mode hinders me from trying new things.
On the other hand, when I’m being overstimulated by the challenges life throws my way, I wish there could be 100 copies of me to complete all my tasks perfectly. This is when I find myself multitasking—not by choice, but rather because it’s the only option.
Neither one of those life engagements feels healthy or sustainable for me. Although I know that I need to be unstuck, the process to free myself is not easy.
How Can I Become Unstuck?
Please allow me to take you on a short summary of my learning of getting unstuck.
If you have reached a boring routine life, try to add some new flavours. You can ask yourself:
- What does your bucket list look like? Have you fulfilled it?
- What have you wished to do during my busy days but never had the time to do?
- When was the last time you checked on a friend?
- How about learning more about a specific hobby or language?
- If you were to leave the world, what would you like people to remember you with?
- Whom can you share support today? Can you volunteer?
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your challenges, consider the following:
- What is a calming routine? Do you even have one? Can you create one? How?
- What are your priorities for now? How can you prioritize? How can you work smartly and efficiently?
- Can you ask for help? Whom can you seek help from?
- What can you delegate? How can you help people build their independence instead of making them dependent on you?
- Do you respect your energy level? What is your ability to manage right now?
- When will you care for yourself if you are doing everything else?
In any case, being stuck can be a very fruitful situation if we delegate time, energy, and the right tools to discover our unstuck methods. Often we feel uncomfortable in those situations and we want to pass by them quickly and get rid of their unpleasant feelings.
However, the more we tackle those stuck moments early and quickly, the less likely they are to snowball. Also, you will get to build your tools to cope adaptively with those challenges, or as I call them—moments of being stuck.
If you’re currently going through this and are feeling alone, please reach out to someone. You can even book a venting session with Vent Over Tea and talk to someone about how you’re feeling while remaining anonymous!
