Life is commonly viewed as a straight line that goes from birth to death. I don’t know about you, but mine is full of peaks and valleys, twists and turns and a whole lot of spirals that don’t seem to go anywhere.
Those spirals, that I often call getting stuck in the muck, keep me spinning in circles instead of moving forward and make me miserable too. The symptoms are easy to identify:
- Indecision
- Getting caught up in distractions
- Endless research
- Fear and worry
- Seeking the perfect solution
- Lack of forward momentum
- Thinking about the issue all the time
- Complaining
- Feeling like a victim
Sometimes I recognize being stuck in the muck early on and shift it quickly and other times it goes on and on until I can’t take it anymore and am finally ready to do something.
So, how can we unstick ourselves from the muck?
Step Out of the Cycle: Take a break from thinking about the issue and visualize yourself literally stepping away from it. It’s important to interrupt the pattern to get a clear perspective of what is going on. You may need to do something mindful to distract yourself from getting caught in the cycle again.
Re-connect with Your Inner Power: I often start with a short breathing exercise that goes like this:
Returning to My Wholeness Exercise:
Sit quietly and take a few deep breaths to relax. Picture the parts of yourself that you have given to issues or people around you, the pieces of you that feel stretched and scattered around. Take a few deep breaths and each time you breathe in imagine those pieces of you coming back into your heart. When you breathe out, let go of anything that no longer serves you.
The next step would be to deepen your connection with your inner power. Common ways of doing this are journaling, exercising, art, reading something inspiring or sometimes even cleaning or organizing.
Take Responsibility: It is important to acknowledge that in your life you are the only one who is responsible for what happens next. Staying stuck is a decision, even if it’s an unconscious one. You can choose something different.
Do Something: In order to move on in a more healthy way you need to:
- Make a decision
- Take action
- Or, just let it go
You likely have all the information you need because you’ve been playing it through your mind over and over again already. Just make the best decision you can or take the best action you can with the timing and information you have. You don’t have to solve the whole issue, just deciding the next step will help you feel more in control. Once you do, you will be surprised how relieved and peaceful you feel.
No matter what happens after you move forward, you must be gentle with yourself, knowing that the choices you have made were the best options available at the time. If things don’t work out as you hoped, it just is what it is, not a reflection on you.
Focus on Gratitude: Recovery time is needed after being stuck in the muck for awhile. It’s important to reset your mood and perspective so that you can feel and do your best. One of the easiest ways to do this is with a gratitude practice, the most common of which is to journal what you are grateful for each day. And, while you are at it, celebrate your daily wins. You can be grateful for how amazing you are as well.
Life is too short to waste time in the muck. The next time you find yourself in caught up in a mucky spiral, give these ideas a try. You can comment below or email me to let me know how it goes.
And, if you feel ready to hire a coach to help you through the muckiness in your life, I would love to talk to you. You can contact me here.
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