Periods of stuckness feel muddy, murky and lonely, but they’re normal and part of the creative cycle! Getting to the root of the stuckness lets you meet yourself with kindness, making it easier to move through feeling stuck. When you fight the feeling, you won’t be able to move past it as quickly as when you allow it and don’t identify with it. Here are my 5 go-to mindset tools that help me when I’m feeling stuck in my creative practice and business, tools I return to time and again.
Tool #1: “Name it To Tame It”
This is a phrase my therapist has shared with me many times, and it’s become ingrained in my psyche. It was first identified by Dr. Daniel Siegel: a technique of simply noticing and labelling emotions as they happen.
It helps me to name what is going on in my mind, like “Oh, hey, I’m thinking of the worst possible scenario again – probably as a misguided way to protect myself.” When you’re able to identify the thought pattern happening, without overidentifying with the emotions behind it, you’re able to move through the stuckness with more self-grace and ease.
You can also do this in your journal – Sometimes the most incredible clarity for this comes from actually writing out how you feel in the moment – this helps you actually identify any patterns or threads.
The real point of this is so you can meet yourself where you are, and get to the root of the feeling of stuck-ness and its particular ‘flavour.’ For example…
- “Am I feeling stuck because I’m actually trying to wait for this to be perfect?”
- “Am I thinking the worst-case scenario right now? Probably trying to keep myself protected again – but we know that even hyper vigilance itself can’t protect me from bad things happening.”
To feel clarity, we need to be honest with ourselves while not overly identifying with our thoughts. It’s a delicate balance, but we need to gently inquire so we don’t succumb to the underlying beliefs that are beneath that thought.
Being able to put a name to what you’re feeling allows you to detach from it, as you’re able to recognize how it’s connected to the same underlying patterns you keep living time and again.
Tool #2: Getting Back Into Your Body
For many of us, feeling stuck comes with alot of overthinking and self-doubt. Getting out of your head and back into your body is one of the best things you can do for yourself when you feel stuck. Physically moving your body (however you are able) is such a deceptively simple, incredibly effective mindset tool for when you’re stuck up in your mind.
We were conditioned to believe that clarity comes from the mind and overthinking things, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. None of us are actually meant to make our decisions from this place! You can’t think your way out of feeling stuck.
Some of my favourite body-based resets are:
- A hot shower, imagining what you’re worrying about washing down the drain
- Putting on an audiobook, grabbing a mug of tea and walking through the forest
- Listening to music while tidying my space
- Breathwork and yoga
- Shaking my arms to ‘shake out’ the nerves and emotions
Tool #3: Reduce Pressure
False senses of urgency and harsh self-judgement are surefire ways to completely shut down your creativity when you’re feeling stuck. Practice catching yourself when you’re stuck in this place by asking yourself intentional questions like…
- “Do I actually need to know the answer to that question right now? Is that even mine to answer?”
- “Am I trying to rush so I can be free from this pressure?”
- “Is this urgent? No? Okay let me take a breath and move with more intention.”
We live in a society that likes to go go go and encourage action when you’re feeling stuck. But the thing is that action without intention is fruitless… taking the time to get back to the intention behind what you’re doing, slowing down and just allowing allows you to move through the stuckness without the pressure.
Tool #4: Returning to What Feels Light
When you’re feeling bogged down by pressure or stuckness, try flipping the script by returning to what feels good and light. The easiest way to start reconnecting with your sense of momentum is to find something light or enjoyable you can do to shake up your energy and flip your perspective.
So many of us keep trying to slog away at things we feel either stuck or uninspired by, when pivoting to something else can actually be much more effective.
Taking a break to go do something light, small or enjoyable is a great way to regain your momentum.
Tool #5: Low-Pressure Journaling
Low-pressure journaling unlocks massive clarity. What I mean by low-pressure is… don’t force yourself to sit and answer a set question or thought in your journal; instead, freely write whatever is on your mind, or use a gently guiding prompt to support you.
Grab my free guide of 70 resilience-building journal prompts here!
A lot of the time, stuckness comes from feeling the pressure to know what to do right now. Instead of trying to force total clarity, taking small steps is the way to go. Try asking yourself instead things like…
- “What feels good right now?”
- “Where does my focus naturally want to go right now?”
- “What’s one thing I could do today that would feel in alignment?”
Surrendering to not knowing all the answers right now is a powerful act of detachment, which allows you to move more gracefully through stuckness.
Bonus Tip: Reframing Stuckness
Feeling lost or stuck is not a sign that there’s anything ‘wrong’ with you or that you’re not driven enough – and it’s definitely not a sign of failure. Feeling lost or stuck is instead a sign to shift your energy. These mindset tools and shifts are here to support you time and again whenever you feel lost and need to get back on track. Ultimately, embodying your human design is my go-to recommendation for feeling more ease and alignment in your life – get started with this free guide.
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