Feeling Stuck? Tips to Shift Your Perspective.

This spring, we’ve all landed in new territory. It’s likely that you’re dealing with change and uncertainty in some area of your life, and you might be experiencing some frustration to go along with that. You might be feeling stuck. You may be actually stuck, under stay at home orders. You may be stuck at work, as an essential worker. You may feel stuck in your finances, in your health, in your career choices, or in your relationships. 

It’s tempting in today’s circumstances to throw up your hands and blame it all on fate. There are so many things right now that are out of your control, but by focusing on the things you CAN control, you can rise above your circumstances. Your response to the events in your life now will affect your future. 

Shift your Perspective

First of all, if you’re feeling stuck, try shifting your perspective. Life is moving but you may be spending your time, your resources, and your energy in the wrong space. What are your goals? What are the habits that “spend out” in the wrong spaces? Take a good look at your life and the patterns that shape your days. Do you have weight loss goals, and a vending machine candy habit? The habit will sabotage your goal. In order to achieve your goal, you might need to shift the habit. 

3 Important Questions

To do that, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What am I willing to stop doing? 

2. What am I willing to start doing? 

3. What is the smallest single step I can take today?

By giving yourself an action step that is manageable, you give yourself a way to start moving in the direction you want to go. 

If you find yourself frustrated by these questions, congratulations! Frustration is your brain’s way of figuring things out. If you’re feeling frustrated, you are on the verge of new insight and ready to learn something new. Instead of feeling defeated by that emotion, shift your perspective and be grateful that your brain is working on the problem. 

Create a Structure

Next, create discipline. If you plan your day, then your day doesn’t end up planning you. By scheduling time to work on the things you need to do, you create a space for those things to happen. Will you really spend an hour on your phone if you have to schedule that in, or will you choose to do something else with that time? It might help to write an actual description of how you spend a day so that you can look over it and decide what you want to change. If you actually love checking your social media, plan it in and stick to your plan. You only get the same 24 hours that everyone else has, but you do get to fill it with what you want to do. And of course, we all have the things we have to take care of (dishes come to mind) in order to support the life we want, but a shift in perspective can be helpful here as well, because it can show you that even the things that aren’t pleasant are in fact moving us toward our goals. 

Don’t stay in the emotion of being stuck. Be willing to take responsibility and take action in your own life. If you are willing to put in the work, you will see yourself moving in the direction you want to take.  Ask yourself those three questions today, and begin to shift your habits. If it’s time for you to get serious about your health journey, virtual appointments are available at TruBalanceHealth.com. If you want to dig into the habits that support health, the Lifestyle Mastery for Health course is available at DrTraciKiernan.com. If you’re looking for a team to cheer you on and ongoing support and resources, you can find the Tribe membership at DrTraciKiernan.com as well. One step is all it takes to start moving!