The Best Way To Combat Stagnation

Feeling stuck is a very unpleasant feeling. Let’s imagine that we are at a crossroads and that we have three roads ahead of us. Despite having more than one option and knowing, more or less, which one is our favorite, we remain quiet. So days, weeks, months and even years go by. For some unknown reason, we are unable to combat the stagnation that is limiting us so much.

This is something that many people – if not all – have experienced at some point in their life. Some even more than once. This feeling usually appears when we have no goals or purposes. The days are all the same, gray and this can make us feel a strong anguish. We get stuck and continue in the same place because we don’t know how to get out of this situation.

The feeling of swimming in the mud

The psychologist Judith Duque Camargo, in her article Carl Rogers, theoretical-practical reflections , collects some testimonies from her patients who feel stagnant. One of them, Jorge, said the following: “Before I had certainties […] today I only move my body mechanically. My world became the size of my surroundings. Another patient who did not want to give her name pointed out “I have given everything to my husband, even the children, I did not want to but I accepted. And now I feel alone, my life has no meaning, I’m old, my opportunities are over… ”.

It seems that all of them are swimming in a pool full of mud in which, no matter how much they think about different options, they cannot see a way out. This is what happens when we feel stuck. We are not able to see further, it is as if we have lost all hope. Sometimes this has to do with certain beliefs that we carry behind our backs or with certain fears that are preventing us from taking the step.

Some ways to combat stagnation

If we believe that we are stagnant and have been like this for a long time -the 6 months are usually taken as a reference-, it is important that we seek professional help. However, there are some ways to deal with it if it appears at specific times.

• Take a break : We may not have stopped or given the license to set aside time for ourselves and really think about what it is that we want. If we do not do this, it will be very difficult to make a decision, always remaining in doubt while we have the feeling that we are wasting away.

• Let’s remember the push : there was a reason why we had made certain decisions. But, the routine, the lack of motivation and many of the habits that we acquired made us forget about it. Let us remember the reason for our choice. If what we do no longer fulfills us, if we have changed, perhaps it is time to choose another path.
• Seeking inspiration : we can contact people who inspire us, read books, watch documentaries or get involved in new activities. Inspiration has to go out and look for it: it is one of the keys to combat stagnation.

A visualization exercise

There is a visualization exercise that some professionals carry out in their practices that is essential to combat stagnation. This allows us to be aware of where we want to go, thus identifying the steps we have to take. The way to do this exercise is as follows.

Let’s start by relaxing, taking a deep breath, and closing our eyes. After this, we are going to visualize ourselves in front of a door that we are going to open. After her we will meet our future “I” and we must look at how old she is. Maybe 60, 70 or 90 years old. For each person it will be different.

If we have visualized ourselves with 70 years and at the present time we are 25 years old, we will begin to make a journey through all ages. We will visualize ourselves first with 30 years and we will continue ten by ten until we reach 70.

In each of these stages of our life we ​​will ask ourselves what are we doing, where do we live, what do we work, do we have children, do we travel? Also, we will look at if we have a partner, what are our friendships and the relationship with our family. The exercise will end by visualizing how we embrace our 70-year-old “self”.

This exercise does not set any precedent, but it will give us an idea of ​​what we want to do. For example, if we visualize ourselves traveling to different places or working in a company in a sector in which we have not yet formed, this will allow us to make some decisions now. Perhaps, sign up for training courses related to what we would like to dedicate ourselves to or save for our next trip.

Take action to combat stagnation

Despite all that we can do to combat stagnation, the important thing is to take action. We cannot stay in our mind; in a sea of ​​doubts, without stepping on the coast. We have to start taking steps, better if they are small, to get closer to all our objectives.

Stagnation often leads us to postpone courses, studies, and even makes us lose valuable opportunities. But all this can change. Facing fears and starting to change small things with the help of a professional will allow us to feel that we are moving forward and that we are leaving that area in which we have submerged and which is so disabling.