5 Things To Do When You're Feeling Stuck
The world right now feels uncertain, and maybe its a result of having to stay indoors for the most part of this year but I've been feeling stuck both physically and mentally. This year in particular, it's been hard to plan ahead or work towards certain goals, knowing that our everyday lives have changed so drastically already. It can be hard to picture how our dreams will make sense and fit in with this 'New Normal' and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's woken up every now and then and thought, what's the point?
After weeks of feeling pretty defeated and mentally drained, I booked myself a much needed week off work, reconnected with my family and decided my mindset needed a reboot. I came back feeling re-energised and truly motivated to work on the things I cared about. Looking back, there were 5 major things that helped me reset my mind and stop feeling stuck. Here's how I did it:
1. Look for an apartment in a different city
So, anyone who knows me, knows how much I love living in Manchester. It's the only city that has ever really felt like home to me despite being born 'down south'. However, as with any place you live in for several years, life can get repetitive. So just for the week, I entertained the idea of living somewhere new! I searched for apartments in cities across the country and I visualised myself as a person who could live in those places. I thought about what job I might have, how I'd get to work, what my new lifestyle would be and I started to generate feelings of excitement and optimism towards these possibilities.
2. Seek out new job opportunities and try your luck
Alongside searching for new apartments, I sought out and applied for new job roles. It's easy to be stuck in a role for so long that you almost forget you could do other things or utilise other skills! Once again, I visualised myself in these new roles and imagined what my new schedule would look like. Could I be a full-time freelancer, able to work from anywhere? Maybe! I reminded myself that despite the current state of the world, there were still roles out there that I was perfectly qualified for and that all I'd have to do was hit 'Apply' to start shifting things in my life.
3. Take a break from work
Sometimes you just need to stop moving on autopilot. Ever forget to take your holidays and wonder why you're burnt all the time, because same. If you're a bit of a workaholic like I am, it's easy to keep going through the motions without checking in with yourself; I realised that needed to change. Despite how hesitant I was to be out of office, I took a spontaneous week off, spent time with my family and did nothing but sleep, laugh and eat good food! It was everything I needed to recharge.
4. Start learning a new skill or pick up one you forgot about
Now judging from the amount of banana bread I saw on my Instagram feed this year, I know I'm not the only one who has used this time as an opportunity to learn new skills. While I know baking is certainly not my forte, languages are, and I decided recently to brush up on my French again. There's something so refreshing about allowing your brain to take in new information, especially when most of your day revolves around doing the same mundane tasks without a second thought. Engaging my brain reminded me that there was so much more to life than where I was currently and so much more to learn. It felt so good that I even entertained the idea of going back to university!
5. Create a new vision board
So finally, towards the end of my week off, I revisited my vision board. There were things on there that I was still excited about and dreams that I could see becoming a reality already. However there were other things that, in the midst of a pandemic and everything that had happened this year, just no longer resonated with me. So I reflected on how my perspective had changed and decided to re-create my vision board to align with the new person I'd become. Instead of feeling defeated about not achieving every single goal I set at the start of the year, I simply replaced those goals with new ones to suit who I am now. I reminded myself that I'm not bound to the ideals of who I was back in January; I could change my mind at any time.
So if there's anything to take away from these actions its to remind yourself that you always have options! Nothing is as stagnant or as permanent as it feels. Entertain the idea that something different could happen, just for a moment, then look to your intuition to show you what to do next!
