Do you feel like you’re Han Solo trapped in carbonite?
3/18/2022
If life seems overwhelming and you wake up day after day with the same list of complaints, it’s time to break the cycle. When we find ourselves in a downward spiral of promises made, promises broken, a lack of motivation, and self-loathing on repeat. It’s not fun and, in all honesty, can be highly debilitating. Making unkept promises to others and, more critically, to ourselves can lead to depression, anxiety, and loss of self-worth.
I’m here to help. Here are seven things you can do right now if you’re paralyzed with fear to move your life forward. These things have worked for me, and I hope this article finds someone who can use them today.
- Ask yourself, what’s one thing I can do to improve my life tomorrow? Just one thing, it could be as simple as eating some vegetables, calling a friend, or applying for a job.
- Meditate—Come on; you knew I was going to say this! Start with quieting your mind and listen.
- Accept how you’re feeling, don’t judge, push down, or deny your emotions. Instead, close your eyes and just sit with them. Know your feelings are valid simply because you have them.
- See if you can pinpoint and visualize the color, shape, size, and texture of the emotions in your body and name it. I like to call mine “Charlie.”
- Thank “Charlie” for trying to protect you.
- See if you can get a different viewpoint. Pretend you’re holding a magnifying glass above “Charlie” slowly pull back.
- Free-form writing—Sit down and write whatever comes into your head. Do not worry about correct spelling, punctuation, or even think about what comes up (until you finish the exercise). This practice allows your subconscious to come into your conscience. Then, once you know what you’re dealing with, you can form a plan.
- List out everything that’s weighing you down. It can be scary to write it down because it seems more real. But once you make a list, you can plan to deal with it.
- Face the items on your list. Then, take a deep breath, and handle the thing on the list that’s the scariest first. Facing the most challenging thing first is a simple trick. You’ll be relieved when you’re done and survive; then, everything else will be a piece of cake.
- Do something for someone else. When we do something kind for another, it opens our hearts and feels good. It also gets us out of our heads. The gift of giving is genuinely for the giver.
Sometimes, we get stuck like a fly in a spiderweb. The more we resist our current circumstances, the more entangled we get. Occasionally, we need a helping hand, someone to help guide us out, around, or through our situation. You already intrinsically know what to do to move forward, and no one can do it for you. Your work is your work, and mine is mine. However, it can be helpful to have a guide a little further down the path calling out things you can’t see just yet.
I genuinely hope this helps someone move forward today.