What It Really Means to Be Stuck, and How To Get Free
If you’ve ever felt stuck—like no matter how much you think, plan, or push, you just can’t move forward—you’re not alone. This experience isn’t failure. It isn’t laziness. And it’s definitely not a lack of willpower. Feeling stuck is actually a form of internal resistance. It happens when parts of you are in conflict—one side wants change, while another fears it. Your mind, emotions, and body are pulling in different directions, creating a kind of internal tug-of-war.
Understanding Stuckness: The Internal Conflict
Feeling stuck isn’t about external obstacles. Sure, those exist, but the real challenge is internal. Stuckness happens when your nervous system perceives a threat, even if that threat is simply change itself. The human mind is designed for survival, not necessarily for transformation. That means even when you consciously want growth, your unconscious mind may resist because it views change as risky.
This internal battle creates paralysis. One part of you wants something new—freedom, love, success—while another part is gripping tightly to the familiar. This push-pull dynamic can feel exhausting, frustrating, and overwhelming. But it’s important to understand: this isn’t a personal flaw. It’s simply how the nervous system works.
The Body’s Response to Feeling Stuck
When you’re stuck, your body is not neutral. It reacts. The sensation of being stuck often manifests as:
Anxiety– You feel restless, worried, or uneasy. The mind races with possibilities and worst-case scenarios.
Frustration – You feel irritable and impatient, sometimes even angry at yourself for “not doing enough.”
Fatigue – You feel drained, like you’re carrying invisible weights. Every attempt to move forward feels exhausting.
Avoidance – You distract yourself, procrastinate, or numb out with social media, food, or other habits.
Indecision – You overanalyze every option, convinced that making the wrong choice will have disastrous consequences.
None of these reactions mean you’re lazy or weak. They are simply signs that your system is resisting change to maintain a sense of safety.
Why Change Feels Dangerous to the Ego
The ego—is the part of you that clings to familiarity. The ego doesn’t care if something is good or bad, healthy or unhealthy—it only cares that it is known. Anything unknown, no matter how beneficial, is perceived as a potential threat.
This is why people stay in jobs they hate, relationships that drain them, or patterns that don’t serve them. The ego would rather stick with the predictable than venture into the unknown. And when we try to change, the ego fights back with fear, doubt, and resistance.
Ego’s main tactics include:
Overthinking – Making every decision feel impossibly complex.
Self-Doubt – Convincing you that you’re not ready or capable.
Perfectionism – Telling you that if you can’t do it perfectly, you shouldn’t do it at all.
Procrastination – Delaying action in favor of “preparing” or “researching” endlessly.
Fear-Based Narratives – Whispering worst-case scenarios in your ear to keep you from moving forward.
But here’s the truth: Ego is not your enemy. It’s just trying to protect you the only way it knows how. The key isn’t to fight your ego, but to reassure it. To create safety within the discomfort of change.
Creating Safety in Discomfort
Most people try to push through resistance with force, thinking, “If I just try harder, I’ll break through.” But that’s not how real transformation works. The more you fight yourself, the stronger the resistance becomes. The way through is not force—it’s trust.
Here’s how you create safety in discomfort:
1. Acknowledge Where You Are
Instead of fighting the feeling of being stuck, acknowledge it. Say to yourself, “I feel stuck, and that’s okay.” This simple act of acceptance removes the extra layer of frustration and judgment.
2. Regulate Your Nervous System
When your body is in fight-or-flight mode, it’s nearly impossible to think clearly or take aligned action. Practices like deep breathing, grounding exercises, and movement help regulate your nervous system so that you feel safe enough to take the next step.
Try this: Take a deep breath in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and exhale for four seconds. Repeat until your body starts to relax.
3. Reframe Fear as a Sign of Expansion
Instead of seeing fear as a stop sign, see it as a signal that you’re on the edge of growth. If you weren’t expanding beyond your comfort zone, you wouldn’t feel resistance at all. Fear doesn’t mean “turn back.” It means “you’re stepping into something bigger.”
4. Take Tiny, Gentle Steps
The ego resists change when it feels too big or overwhelming. Break things down into the smallest possible steps. If you’re stuck in a creative rut, don’t aim to write an entire book—just write a single sentence. If you want to start working out, don’t force yourself to go to the gym for an hour—just stretch for five minutes. Tiny actions bypass the ego’s panic response.
5. Stay Present Instead of Future-Tripping
Being stuck often comes with overthinking the future: “What if this doesn’t work?” “What if I fail?” Instead of spiraling into what-ifs, bring yourself back to the present. Ask, “What is the next right step I can take today?”
6. Let Ego Exhaust Itself
If you stop fighting yourself and simply allow the resistance to be there, something shifts. Ego eventually gets tired. Resistance fades when it’s met with patience instead of force. When you trust the process, the internal struggle loses its power.
Trusting the Process
Trust is the hardest part of transformation, yet it’s the most necessary. The mind wants guarantees, but growth doesn’t come with certainty. You have to be willing to step forward even when you don’t have all the answers.
Here’s what trusting the process looks like:
Believing that being stuck is temporary, not permanent.
Knowing that every emotion you feel has a purpose.
Allowing discomfort without running from it.
- Choosing progress over perfection.
- Leaning into faith, even when you don’t see results right away.
The Truth About Breakthroughs
Breakthroughs don’t come from force. They come from surrender. From trusting yourself enough to move forward, even in small ways. If you’re feeling stuck right now, remember this:
You are not broken.
You are not failing.
You are in the middle of transformation.
So breathe. Allow. Take the next small step. The path will unfold, one moment at a time. Your breakthrough is already on its way.
Ready to Break Through?
If you’re ready to move beyond stuckness and step into your power, I am here to guide you. Together, we’ll create safety in discomfort, rewire resistance, and help you step fully into the life you’re meant to live.
Book a session today and start your transformation.