Have you ever felt like you were stuck in life? Maybe you’re even feeling that now. It can feel like your current life situation will never change or you can’t find the motivation to create the changes you want to experience. Well, you’re not alone. The feeling of being stuck in life happens to just about everyone, myself included. Realizing you’re stuck is the first step to becoming unstuck, which can sometimes be the hardest part of the process.
While it may feel like there’s no way to reverse your current situation, there are ways to get unstuck in life. Learn these seven tools to help you navigate this part of your journey.
1. Do Something Outside Your Comfort Zone
When people come to me for advice on how to get unstuck in life, the first thing I tell them to do is go outside their comfort zone. As the saying goes, “Life begins outside your comfort zone,” and so does the process of getting unstuck.
When you choose to do something outside your comfort zone, you’re able to shake up your normal routine, as it requires you to do something different and new. Sometimes the reason you feel stuck is that you’re caught in a rat race of doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
As Albert Einstein said, that is insanity. So when you catch yourself feeling frustrated and stuck in your path, make an effort to do something outside your comfort zone. The small shakeup in your routine can help get you back on track.
2. Explore Your Purpose (Or Find It)
Michel de Montaigne, one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance, said, “The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere.” In other words, those who live without a purpose will likely feel lost and mentally stuck. So, if getting unstuck in life is a priority of yours, I highly encourage you to spend time exploring or finding your purpose.
Finding your purpose doesn’t have to be a complicated process. In fact, I’ve broken down the process into five simple steps:
- Explore your curiosities
- Do a guided brainstorm
- Define your energy bubble
- Find your Ikigai
- Take massive action
To learn the details of each of these five steps, read my story on finding your purpose.
3. Find Something Your Passionate About
Similar to a life full of purpose, when you’re in touch with your passions, you’re more likely to avoid feeling stuck. Your passions give you a source of joy and fulfillment that keeps you moving forward on your path. When you’re in touch with your passions, you can live a life filled with meaning, because you’re doing what you love.
Finding your passion may be different for each person’s unique journey, but here are five general ways you can do it:
- Don’t worry about making money
- Make a list of everything you love doing
- Follow your interests
- Choose happiness over judgement
- Be proactive
4. Spend Time In Nature
If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know I spend a lot of time exploring the outdoors. I believe time spent outside promotes inspiration, motivation, enthusiasm, and an overall sense of well being. When you’re feeling stuck in life, take a step outside and connect with Mother Earth. There’s something about grounding yourself to nature that can create positive shifts in your life.
Not sure how to do this? Don’t worry, I got you. You can simply take an afternoon walk around your neighborhood, go for a stroll at a local park, or, if you’re an outdoor enthusiast, there’s nothing like going for a long hike or camping trip to help shake the rut you may feel like you’re in.
5. Shift Your Perspective
While you may feel like you’re stuck because you were dealt a bad hand, sometimes it’s related to your perspective on life and your current situation. When you’re in a rut, it’s easy to feel like everything is working against you and there’s no way you’ll ever get unstuck in life. But I challenge you to find the positives, celebrate your small wins, and see the opportunity you have to wake up every day as a gift.
Instead of getting caught in the weeds and worrying about your future, zoom out and see that your life is a miracle. Sometimes it’s the pebble in your shoe that makes the mountain hard to climb. Shift your perspective and get out of your head. Everything is going to be okay if you trust it will be.
6. Spend Time Journaling
Journaling is my bread and butter. I use my journaling practice in times of happiness and also times of feeling stuck. It’s a great way to make sense of your thoughts and sift through the all the stuff you may be going through. Whether you’re writing multiple pages or just a few lines of what you’re dealing with, it can help you separate from your internal struggles and get unstuck.
If you’re new to journaling, that’s okay. Use journal prompts to help you get started. These simple one-line questions or prompts can put you well on your way to getting unstuck in life.
7. Focus On What You Can Control
Sometimes in life, we try and control things that are actually out of our control. And when you’re feeling stuck, you may want to try and fix everything because you’re tired of feeling this way. However, the truth is, you won’t be able to fix everything in that very moment. There are situations and struggles in your life that are out of your control, and it’s best to avoid trying to fix them.
Instead, focus on what you can control. Find your purpose, explore your passions, do things you love, call in positivity into your life, and make your own happiness a priority. It’s these small actions that can help you get unstuck in life.
Reasons You're Feeling Stuck In Life
- You lack self-confidence: We all have the negative voice in our head that fills our life with self-doubt. If you let this take you over, you will begin to feel mentally stuck.
- You’ve lost control of your life: If you feel like your life is running you, it’s time to step into your power. Start taking charge in one are of your life and slowly expand that power into more areas.
- You push your problems to the side: As much as you may not want to face your struggles, sometimes pushing them to the side makes you stuck. If you want to progress in your journey, you will need to work through the challenges you may face.
- You have negative thoughts: Your mind needs to be fed fruitful nutrients just like your body. Focus on positive self-talk if you’re feeling stuck.
- You don’t believe in yourself: This coincides with the point I made above. The more you tell yourself you can do something, the more capable you will feel. You’re only one “I can” away from a miracle.
- You lack courage: Sometimes when you feel stuck in life, it’s because you choose comfort over courage. As Brené Brown said, “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.”
- You compare yourself to others: There will always be someone ahead of you in life; it’s inevitable. When you compare yourself to others, you stunt your own growth. Focus on your unique journey, don’t worry about what other people are doing.
What Tony Robins Thinks About Getting Unstuck
Bottom Line
If you’re feeling stuck, the best thing you can do is be kind to yourself. These are challenges we all face. But remember, life is a cycle. What comes around goes around. Focus on the seven tips in this article to learn how to get unstuck in life and continue the quest of finding yourself.
