Sherry Essig

Stuck or stressed? Here’s Your 3-step Solution.

Even successful professionals feel stuck or stressed sometimes. But there is a proven way to live in flow at work and at home. For over ten years, this three-step business-life coaching process has helped corporate leaders, business owners, accountants, lawyers, nonprofit managers and others get inspired, energized and unstuck.

It’s easy to feel stuck or stressed. It happens to almost everyone at times, as we manage busy lives including work, home, friends, and more.

Everyone’s situation is unique. But there is a process that applies across the board to get unstuck and reduce stress. These three steps will have you moving forward and living more in flow.

1. Create some traction

Have you ever gotten your car stuck in a snow bank? You keep pressing the gas pedal, making the car work harder and harder, but the wheels are just spinning in place. Throw some sand under the wheels, though, and all of a sudden you start to move.

Being stuck or stressed in life can be a lot like that. You feel like you’re working hard to change, but you’re not getting anywhere.

What you need is that traction. Identify one or two practical, manageable actions, and you begin to move.

2. Give yourself some breathing space

When you’re overwhelmed or frustrated (or both), it’s hard to think clearly or find new perspectives on what’s happening.

If you grew up driving in wintry conditions, you know what to do when you get stuck. But as a Southern Californian my first experience getting stuck in snow was baffling. I had no idea how to get the car moving, so I just kept doing the same thing over and over, working myself up into quite a state.!

It wasn’t until I finally got out of the car and took a deep breath that I realized I needed something for traction. (All of you who know how to drive in snow can stop laughing now.) Fortunately I had a bag of kitty litter in my trunk that hadn’t yet made its way into the house.

Creating breathing room opens space for new ideas. It allows you to hear your gut, your heart, and your intuition.  A few minutes simply breathing deeply, going for a short walk, or dancing around the room to some great music may be all it takes.

3. Explore the big picture issues

Once you have traction and room to breathe, it’s much easier to gain clarity. You can be more honest with yourself about what’s really most important and what trade-offs you’re willing to make. You’ll have more emotional and mental energy to challenge your assumptions and open up to new possibilities.

It’s that kind of expansive thinking that you need to integrate the three dimensions of your life: who you are, what you do, and how you do it. When you put all three of these elements together, you’ll truly be living in flow.

Getting Started by Creating Traction

The night I was stuck on the snowy road, I was thrilled to realize I didn’t have to wait for a warmer weather to get moving again. You too don’t have to wait to get going!!

Ask yourself where you are stuck right now. Be specific and resist any urge to criticize yourself.

Choose one tiny step you can take to gain some traction. How about closing your email program 30 minutes a day to focus on important projects? Maybe you want to be working on your resume for 15 minutes every morning to find a better work situation. Whatever your goal, you could start your day by writing down one small thing to do that day to move you one step closer to what you want.

Acknowledge your progress every day. And if you fall short, learn from what happened, be kind to yourself and start again.

You can get unstuck and reduce stress. By following these three steps, you’ll be back in cruising gear soon.

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