Supporting Men Who Feel Stuck
Feeling ‘stuck’ is a learned avoidance loop. Sometimes we choose short-term relief over doing hard things and so get trapped in a cycle.
We can also feel demotivated because we are not getting enough of what we want, be it wealth or love or recognition. We are unhappy or unsuccessful, and we feel ashamed.
Wanting more out of life is not selfish or shallow; it is natural. What’s more, with patience and the right skills, all of us are capable of building up our lives into something we are proud of.
Making progress
Feeling stuck is tricky because, by its very nature, it makes us start to doubt that progress is possible. We don’t feel sad or angry or scared, we just feel ‘stuck’.
But the key insight here is that ‘we’ are not just one person or one single self. We are a collection of selves, and one part of us is holding up the queue. Most often, this part of us has gone a long time without being listened to.
This means that sometimes the path to getting unstuck requires an increased self-knowledge, or letting go of some part of ourselves that no longer fits into our real lives.
Often, the solution can be less conceptual, for instance, clients who are feeling stuck often benefit from structured interventions like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you set up experiments in your own life that show you where you might be going off track. It is a way to test out small, practical tweaks in your thinking and actions and then monitor the results.
Feeling stuck is not fun, but there are many ways to break the loop, both in and out of the therapy space.
Ready to talk?
I offer counselling appointments in Penrith, or tele-health Australia-wide. After hour appointments available. No GP referral required.
The first step is to book a free 10 minute phone chat.