It happens to each one of us at one time or another. We become stuck. We enter a state of lethargy. Whether it involves our work or our home life, there are just days (and unfortunately sometimes weeks and months) where we feel stuck. We don’t seem to have the energy to move forward. We feel the need to get things done but can’t find a grain of momentum to make it happen. After a while we know we have to do something, yet we sit on the couch like an immobile brick. Stuck.
When this happens, remember that feeling like a brick is your key to becoming unstuck. When you can use the BRICK techniques - Breathe, Recognize, Initiate, Connect, and Kinesthetics - this BRICK will release you from your milieu and move you forward. Used in combination, they are a powerful source of movement while incorporating even one BRICK element will help you reduce the feeling of being stuck.
Breathe
When we are stuck, so is our breathing. Stop and notice your breathing. Is it coming from deep in your abdomen or is it in your chest? Is it deep and slow or short and quick? By actively controlling our breath, we can loosen up the grip of lethargy and begin to feel more ourselves.
Try this exercise: Expand your abdomen slowly allowing the breath to fill the expanding cavity. Hold the breath for two counts. Then release the breath out slowly, if possible twice as slowly as your inhale. Breathe in, hold, and release five times in a row at least once a day. In time as your breath becomes more natural, and so will your momentum.
Recognize
Focusing on what we do not have, the mountain of work before us, or previous disappointments can keep us stuck. By recognizing the good we have in our lives, we can detach ourselves from our negative stories and worries providing us with the strength to move forward.
To begin reframing your viewpoint and recognize the good, try to either think of five (5) things to be grateful for before you step foot out of bed every morning or at the end of your day write a list of the good things that happened. When we can shake loose from our fear and negativity, we find the courage to step ahead.
Initiate
Especially when we have large daunting projects in front of us, we can be so overwhelmed and full of fear that we are immobilized. As the saying goes, what is the best way to eat an elephant? One step at a time. Look at your own tasks and projects. What is the smallest, easiest step you can take which will move you forward? You don’t have to make significant progress. The goal is simply to make some movement.
If you are looking for a new job, maybe the smallest step you are able to make is to look for websites which may post relevant positions. You don’t need to find or apply for any jobs. All you need to do is find the sites. Then set your next goal to find at least one job for which you can apply. Again you don’t need to apply, just find an opening. Every day take just one little baby step and soon you will find yourself moving ahead.
Connect
When we are curled up on our couch hiding from the tasks which overwhelm us, we tend to isolate. This isolation keeps us trapped. At times like this, reach out to others. Is there a friend you can call you haven’t talked to in a while? Can you join your co-workers for lunch instead of eating at your desk? Can you go to a coffee shop to work instead of hiding in your house? Reconnect with the human race to begin feeling like yourself again.
Kinesthetics
Get your body moving! Do you like yoga? Do you like to walk? Can you do a few jumping jacks? Move your muscles, increase your heart rate, and just do something to take your body out of a static position. Moving your body can shake the cobwebs out of your mind. Don’t think you have to commit to a major exercise program. Touch your toes a few times a day. Do a few stretches. Park further away adding a bit more to your walk. Remember that your body is designed to move. As you allow your body to do what it does naturally, it can help you to renew your desire to act in the rest of your life.
If waiting drives you crazy. If your to-do list never gets done (and the stress keeps you awake all night). If you’re always on the go . . . and you never seem to get there. If you’re not even sure where “there” is anymore. If you’re always helping somebody else and never taking care of you . . .
You’re a typical Type-A professional or entrepreneur who’s ready for less stress and more peace. And you CAN have the life you want.
Melissa Heisler is a recovering Type A, the author of From Type A to Type Me: How to Stop “Doing” Life and Start Living It. She can help you find your own stress-free Type Me. With a background in theatre and a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications, Melissa brings creative and practical techniques that will move your life and business forward easily.