Feeling stuck around creating change? Tap into the Flow

During the process of creating change in your life or in the world, it’s easy to feel stuck.

Maybe you’ve tried to motivate yourself but it didn’t work.

I remember when I was in college and taking a fitness course, I tried to motivate myself to lift weights by promising myself a new bicycle. But that didn’t work. Once the class was over, I went back to my old routine.

What DID work, was figuring out how to tap into the flow.

Flow state is something that’s been researched for quite a while. And it’s one of the basic premises in positive psychology.

Positive psychology focuses on people’s strengths and what helps them flourish. It looks at human behavior in a different light than more traditional psychology, which generally focuses on what’s wrong with people, such as being anxious and depressed.

In the case of figuring out why someone is feeling stuck, positive psychology would spend more time helping the person get unstuck, than in focusing on why they’re feeling stuck.

If you’re trying to get unstuck in a certain area, tapping into the flow can help.

A more commonly used term for flow state is “being in the zone.” It’s when you are completely immersed in whatever task you’re involved in. You feel a deep sense of joy, and you can lose track of time.

So, instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out how to get past that roadblock on your path, try tapping into the flow instead.

Identify something you often do that puts you in that flow state. Is it making art or listening to music?
Or maybe it’s cooking or walking in nature.

Give yourself the gift of engaging in whatever puts you in the state of flow. Try to stay fully immersed in the process. If thoughts about being stuck try to creep in, imagine putting them in a container and on the shelf for the time being. Reassure yourself that you can get back to that container later.

You might be surprised to notice that as you’re in the flow state, ideas for moving forward may come to you. If so, that’s great. But don’t force it. Just engaging the flow energy creates space for something new to emerge, even if it doesn’t show up in that moment.

Another thing that can help is just to embrace being stuck. See if you can come up with a metaphor to describe being stuck. Does it feel like you’re standing in molasses? Or like a cat trying to squeeze through an opening that’s too small?

Once you’ve identified a metaphor that feels right, spend some time journaling about your situation. For instance, in the case of the molasses, ask the molasses how it’s trying to serve you. There may be a purpose behind the “stuckness” that you have co-created with the Universe.

Try to have compassion for yourself. If you judge yourself for being stuck, that will only make things worse. And remember, lack of momentum is something that most people encounter on the path to change. You are not alone. And you have resources.