I’m surprised that feeling stuck hasn’t made its way into the DSM-IV. It’s a remarkably common struggle and, in my opinion, insufficiently talked about.
Writers get stuck, of course (writer’s block), and artists too. Stuck is a problem with the mechanisms of creativity, but that doesn’t mean it’s limited to those in creative fields. We can all get stuck with creativity, whether it’s around dating, a symptom of depression, or in our work lives.
Feeling stuck and being stuck aren’t the same thing.
This is so important because, if we let the feeling of stuck take over and determine what we do about it, we’re only going to get unstuck once that feeling passes. Which, if you’re stuck, could be an awfully long time. The trick is to do things that are part of getting unstuck even if you don’t feel like doing them (or even if you don’t feel that you can do them).
Stuck isn’t just a metaphor
The concept of stuck, of course, comes from the idea of a physical object being stuck in one place and unable to be moved. What do we do when that happens? We get some kind of help–either a person or a few people, or some kind of lever or other machine.
I know where you can find some people who are really great at helping you get unstuck…
Yep, I’m talking about group therapy.