This Friday, I’m hosting another workshop — this time on the topic of being stuck. And as I prepare, I’m realizing that feeling stuck isn’t just about big, life-changing decisions. It shows up in everyday moments too. Every time I sit down to write this newsletter, I struggle with where to start. I get stuck making simple decisions—like when to take my car in for an oil change or whether to host another workshop.

Yet, life moves on even while we feel stuck. But when we let decisions drag on for months or years, what begins as uncertainty transforms into something else:

Waiting. We wait for someone to notice our work, offer help, arrive, or leave. We place the responsibility for change on someone else, turning stuckness into an excuse.

Confusion. When asked about our next step, we say I don’t know – how to get started, how to pull it off, how to fix it. We make it an intellectual problem that seems unsolvable.

Emotional weight. Stuckness manifests in our body, making us feel unmotivated, frustrated, depressed, or hopeless. It drains our energy and spills into other areas of life.

Feeling stuck is normal. But we have to be careful not to get too comfortable with it. Being stuck then becomes just another decision we make based on a story we tell ourselves. Waiting should have a deadline attached by which we make a determined move. Confusion can end by trying to figure things out. Google is usually my starting point. When we allow ourselves to be stuck for longer periods of time, getting unstuck becomes more challenging because being stuck has become a habit.
For over a year I felt frustrated with myself for not turning my coach training into action. I never gave up the goal, but I came close. When everything seems too hard, too impossible, too much, the tiniest step can produce momentum – and it doesn’t always have to address the stuckness head-on.

Physical movement, especially outdoors, can help broaden our perspective and clear the cloudiness of unexamined thoughts.

Creative expression like painting, photography or journaling can bring us fresh energy. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way calls the process of writing “coming to the other side.” Writing allows me to look at my thoughts, examine them, and decide what to do with them. For me, writing is an effective way to resolve inner tension.

Asking powerful questions. Coaches use them to help clients move forward, and I use them on myself when my thoughts or emotions seem caught in a loop.

What helps you get unstuck? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And if you know someone who might benefit from my workshop, please forward this email to them—it could be their first step to get unstuck.

Warmly
Janine