Feeling Stuck?

I ran a poll on my Instagram, asking about the issue they most struggled with right now

Top of the poll was: Feeling stuck and how to get unstuck?

And honestly…

I get it.

I've been feeling stuck more days than I'd like to admit this year

It's super frustrating.

I can only describe it like this :

knowing what to do, but not doing it
having too many ideas and doing none of them
feeling tired and unmotivated
comparing yourself to everyone else
overthinking every next step
feeling behind

I’ve felt all of it.

Sometimes I sit at my desk for the precious few hours I get while my daughter is at preschool, only to go around in circles getting nothing done.

Right eye twitching with 20 tabs open and my phone luring me with pics of chocolate like this :

This happens especially when life is full, energy is low, and my brain feels crowded.

The truth about feeling stuck

Most of the time, you are not actually stuck.

You are:

overwhelmed
mentally tired
trying to do too much
scared of choosing wrong
expecting too much from yourself right now

That’s different, and it matters because if you think you’re lazy or failing…

You solve the wrong problem.

A lot of feeling stuck comes from psychology, not capability.

Small shifts in state and action can change everything.

Actually, Tony Robbins said the above, let me reword in a way that makes sense to me :

Sometimes we feel stuck because we think we suck at life, right?

If only I were better, faster, smarter, more capable like Adeline (fictional superqueen), who seems to have her life figured out ....

I wouldn't be feeling like my brain is wading through mud, and I have 1 million things to do

But feeling like your brain is stuck in an Irish muddy bog has nothing to do with how smart or skilled you are and everything to do with your sneaky brain feeling tired and confused, so it's tricking you into feeling inferior #brainbeingaturdagain -__-

Solution? Change your brain's perspective by changing little actions

How's that for a rewrite, eh Tony ?!

What usually gets me unstuck

1. Change your physical state

Before trying to solve your whole life…

Change your energy first.

Move your body.
Go for a walk.
Stretch.
Do a workout.
Take a shower.
Step outside.

Sometimes you don’t need a better plan. You need better energy.

A new physical state often creates a new mindset

Have you noticed that when you exercise, you feel a surge of energy?

Dopamine gives you a rush, and suddenly, your brain feels clear.

It also tends to make me happier, which clears my head.

This is why I try to cycle my daughter to preschool in the morning.

It gets me in a positive headspace, which I really need when I am feeling....meh. :(

When my head is clear, then I can problem-solve and think again

2. Pick one priority for the week

I have all sorts of ambitious goals

Launch a new product

Create a new workshop

Take on coaching students

Create 100 pins

Write 8 emails

Then I get overwhelmed and don't know what to focus on in the limited time I have.

So I scale it back.

Not ten priorities.

One.

I ask myself:

What would make this week feel better if completed?

Then I focus there.

So this week, my focus is on scheduling the pins I created and writing emails

That's it

I feel ... kind of unproductive to be doing so little, BUT something is better than nothing

And that something is Pinterest and email this week!

3. Remove hidden pressure

This is a BIG one I struggle with

Sometimes we feel stuck because we’re carrying thoughts like:

I should be further ahead
Everyone else is doing more
I need to catch up
I must figure everything out now

Those thoughts quietly drain energy.

It's super unproductive, and it's also untrue!

You are exactly where you need to be right now, and you are trying your best - and often, that's enough

Stop beating yourself up!

Ask yourself:

What story am I telling myself right now? Is it TRUE?? (no its not!)

Sometimes changing the story changes the feeling.

4. Shrink the goal

Refer to point 2: I tend to set unrealistic goals. Unrealistic in the sense that it doesn't match the time I have!

Not a bad thing to have big goals, just need to be realistic about how long it takes.

So,instead of:

“Fix my whole life”
“Grow my business”
“Get back on track”

Try:

write one email
outline one product idea
update one blog post
create one Pinterest pin
send one message

Momentum often returns after movement.

So example here- I am writing ONE email today.

Yes, just one. I wanted to write four O_O

But I am happy I wrote one. Its all progress baby!

The t-shirt hoarder in his natural habitat

5. Clear the clutter

My husband says he knows when I am feeling stressed or stuck, because I go on a warpath and start organizing things while yelling 'HOARDER!', 'CLUTTER!', 'GET RID!' 'MARIE KONDO!'

He disappears to the gym while I frantically shout at mess and tidy everything with a frenzy

He returns with half his t-shirts gone and a smiling, happy wife

Ahhhh, I can breathe again

Note- he has over 150 t-shirts, no joke O_O Please don't sympathize with this t-shirt hoarder -__-

So, tidy one small area around you.

Your desk.
Kitchen counter.
Bedroom corner.
Car.
Bag.

A clearer space often creates a clearer mind.

Maybe don't throw any of your partners' t-shirts on the first round of cleaning, you need to ease them into it :)

6. Go outside if you can.

Walk in a park.
Sit in the sun.
Look at trees.
Listen to birds.
Feel the fresh air.

You can even potter about in your garden pretending you aren't the neighborhood plant killer! #blackthumb

Nature has a way of calming a busy mind and helping you think more clearly.

Sometimes clarity comes when you stop forcing it.

What I remind myself

There are seasons where you sprint.

And seasons where you simplify.

If you have a lot on your plate, low energy, stress, a baby at home, uncertainty, or limited time…

This may be a simplify season.

That is not failure.

Life is cyclical

Remember when we thought Covid was forever?

What goes up must come down, and vice versa.

Ride the storm, and the sunshine will be back again soon!

If you feel stuck in your business right now…

It’s usually not because you need more ideas.

It’s because you don’t have:

One clear offer
One platform to focus on
One simple system
And the consistency to follow through

Keeping things simple scales; being scattered doesn’t.

If you’ve been:

Wanting to start making money online but don’t know where to begin
Thinking about creating a digital product but keep delaying it
Posting, trying, learning… but not seeing results

Then this might help.

I’m opening up a small number of “Get Unstuck” sessions.

This is a 90-minute 1:1 where we focus on you: your situation, your skills, your goals, and figure out what actually makes sense.

We can work through things like:

What kind of online income stream you should start
How to earn your first $100 online (step-by-step)
What digital product you could create (and actually sell)
Which platform is worth your time right now
Why what you’re doing isn’t working — and how to fix it
What to focus on next (so you stop doing everything)

By the end, you’ll have:

A clear direction
A simple plan
And specific next steps you can actually follow

Because sometimes, the fastest way to get unstuck…Is to stop trying to figure it all out alone.

I should mention — my time is limited at the moment as I have a baby, so I’m only opening a few of these sessions.

👉 You can book your session here:

GET UNSTUCK

P.S. If you’re overthinking everything and just want someone to tell you what actually makes sense for you — this is exactly what we’ll do in the session.

Today’s question

What is one thing making you feel stuck right now?

Hit reply and tell me.

I read every response.

Thanks for reading

Aisha Preece from Outandbeyond.com

PS: I share my bare minimum low effort strategy to grow my blogs on my Instagram stories — if you want more behind-the-scenes like this, come hang out: @aishapreece

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Out And Beyond | Blogging & Side Hustle Tips