In work, as in life, sometimes you feel stuck, physically and mentally.
You’re working away at what you do, planning, creating, producing, serving. Things are going along swimmingly. All of a sudden things start to slow to a crawl, or worse, STOP all together. You feel blocked, stumped, at an impasse on how to proceed, how to solve the problem, how to come up with the idea.
You are not alone, it happens to all of us at some point in life and work. It’s not just something writers experience. It’s the worse feeling to be stuck, especially if you are on a deadline or feeling pressure to complete what you started. But before you throw your hands in the air and give up – or start to feel that the block is insurmountable – take a deep breath!
Photo by Fabian Møller on Unsplash
Take a break and breathe.
Seriously – the first step is to take a break and BREATHE! That is way too simple, you say, There’s more to it of course. Take a break, walk away for a few minutes. Don’t get on social media and find an hour later that you got sucked down that rabbit hole and now are even farther behind, feeling more pressure, and worst – still stuck.
No. I’m saying really take a break, one where you give your mind a rest, concentrate on your breathing, let your thoughts go, and clear your head. Most of us go through our days as multi-taskers. We do our work but in the back of our minds are the next few things on our list, things we need to do later in the day, and even the next few days or weeks ahead. It is important to give our brains a break!
Sit in a comfortable place – preferably away from devices, and give yourself 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes of sitting still, letting your mind rest, still your thoughts and just BE. I find closing my eyes helps to block out external distractions, but focusing on something peaceful and slow like clouds in the sky also works. Concentrate on your breathing and be in that particular moment, develop a feeling of well being and gratitude at that moment. It doesn’t take long to feel more relaxed, free from all the stressors and worries of the day.
Once you are in a more relaxed state, you have the opportunity to look at old blocks and problems with a new, fresh perspective. Carrying that feeling of gratitude with you back into your workday is the key.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Talk to other people.
Sometimes if you have been working alone, it is super helpful to go interact with other human beings. In this digital age, it is so easy to go through an entire day without actually speaking to people face to face in a meaningful way.
Go find your people, whether they are in your office, at a co-working space, a group you belong to, a coach, a mentor, or even family and friends. Talk to people, ask them about their day. Get out of your head. Find out what’s going on in other peoples’ lives and work, what’s going on in the world outside your doors, in the world around you.
In the act of speaking with others, several things may happen. You feel temporarily free from the stress of your block. You find that in speaking to other people solutions are offered or come to mind spontaneously. You are lifted out of your world to see a wider view, a different perspective, a new way of looking at things that brings fresh ideas to mind.
Again, you feel a sense of gratitude in sharing this world with the wonderful people who are in your circle, your tribe, your support group. Sometimes they can offer alternative ideas or solutions to your issue, and sometimes just talking to them about what’s going on in their world, broadens your view of possibilities.
Photo by Andy Grizzell on Unsplash
Move your body.
Here is one of my favorite things to do when I’m stuck or tired or blocked. Get up and MOVE! If you’re like me, you sit to work much of the day. When we are sedentary it not only affects our bodies (stiffness, exhaustion), it also affects our brains (we run out of ideas, we are less creative, we hit roadblocks).
One of my favorite things to do is take 10-15 minutes and walk my dog around the block. Since I work from home, this is a privilege and pleasure I revel in that I wished for in years past when I worked in an office. But even if you are in an office environment, you can get up and go outside (if possible) and take a short walk, breathe in the fresh air and sunshine. Or at the very least get-up and stretch, walk around a bit, lengthen your body, stretch your spine, your arms, and legs, move sideways, maybe do some toe touches.
While you are moving your body, try to clear your mind too. Let all the worry and stress go. Take slow, deep breaths. Even 5-10 minutes of this will allow you to come back refreshed and energized.
Photo by ThisisEngineering from Pexels
Draw.
Okay I know at this point a lot of you are saying, “But Karen, I’m not an artist, I can’t draw!” Well to that I say – it doesn’t matter that you’re not an artist — and of course you can draw! It just uses a different part of your brain, which is exactly why it is so freeing.
You don’t need any fancy tools, a pencil or pen will do just fine. A clean piece of paper. Think of it as a way to engage the other side of your brain. Take 5 minutes, position your pen/pencil in the center of the page. Hold your opposite hand up in front of you, and then turn the other way so that you can’t see your paper anymore. Start drawing the shapes of your hand, without taking your hand off the paper – one continuous motion. It doesn’t matter how it looks, the idea is to draw what you really see rather than what your brain thinks it sees. Here is a great explanation of the process.
Sometimes using drawing as a way to visualize the process or problem you are trying to solve will offer a new perspective and solutions will come to the fore or present themselves within the creative process. Draw the problem and paths you could possibly take to a solution, map it out visually on paper. You may be surprised at other ideas that pop into your head, new solutions that present themselves.
courtesy of https://peacefulacreshorses.com
Spend time with horses.
Okay, you may think I threw this in as a joke, as a cheap grab for attention (you all know I’m a horse-girl). But in reality, interacting with animals in general, and horses specifically can be a superb way to find solutions to blocks that are standing in your way. I realize that not many people actually have access to these magnificent animals, so bear with me for a minute.
We all know that dogs and cats are great at offering unconditional love, lowering blood pressure, getting us to exercise or get outside, and offer a different perspective through caring for another being outside of ourselves. When we are stressed or blocked, interacting with animals, even for a short period of time, can be freeing. If they are playful, they make us want to move and interact with them – if they are peaceful, they transmit that to us which is like a free-breathing exercise – we slow down and anyone who has ever had a cat happily purring on your lap knows the wonderful effects that can have. You feel gratitude, love, happiness.
Like people, horses are social beings whose herd dynamics are remarkably similar to the family system. Because they are prey animals (rather than preditors), a horse’s awareness and assessment of non-verbal cues is exceptional and they are superb at reading emotions. Horses do not judge or blame, they have boundaries and communicate clearly but without malice. Just being in the presence of horses can calm the mind, slow your breathing and make you feel free and at peace. You don’t have to be in the ring with a horse to reap these benefits, even watching horses grazing in the pasture together is enough. If you just sit and share space with them, watch their interactions with each other, you will learn much about them and about yourself. Horses live in the moment, live in gratitude. Being around them in a quiet, observational way allows us to feel this way too. It opens up your mind and creativity and ideas start to flow.
So if you are blocked, try to interact with animals in some fun way – or even just sit back and observe them interacting with each other. I think you’ll be surprised and pleased with how this refreshes your mind, your body, your attitude and opens you to new possibilities.
Find your best method and let me know what works for you!
I’d love it if you would give me feedback, and tell me if these methods work for you when you are blocked or stuck. If you have other ways of getting yourself unstuck, I’d like to hear those as well.
