How To Get Unstuck When Life Feels Walled In

If we could divide the world into two types, there might be an argument for labeling one group the Unstuck and the other group Stuck.

Even the Unstuck get stuck once in a while and those who are Stuck sometimes break free and move forward with their lives on occasion. But I know some truly happy people who don’t really know what it’s like to be stuck. There are a few tricks that make this possible. Here is basically the Diary of an Unstuck Person. They know how to wake up and shake it up once in a while, but these are not necessarily people who adore surprises. They just hate being stuck.

Tricks of the Trade:

Read

One trick for getting unstuck is to keep yourself immersed in reading. No matter what age you are, reading remains one of the most affordable forms of entertainment and cheapest methods of traveling that there is. Reading is also a very cost-effective way to get an education.

Consider this: Parents often evaluate entertainment costs as entertainment hour per dollar. You can spend $8.50 and keep kids busy for three hours by sending them to the movies. Or you can spend $50 to keep them amused for three hours at a local arcade. See the point?

Now spend $10 on a classic book and you might get 20 hours of reading enjoyment out of that. A great investment.

Travel

Travel is less expensive than it seems. Those who are stuck, however, seem to think that travel is prohibitively expensive – way out of reach.

If that is true, remember, you can travel just 50 miles away and still feel like you have broken free of your rooted existence. You can feel unstuck. And, if 50 miles is too expensive, try just changing the scenery. If you spend your time in a city, head for the nearest water: A stream, a shoreline. You can get unstuck at these places. And if you live on the shore you can get unstuck with a day in the city.

Meet Someone

Making a new friend is very cheap. Instead of sitting on that bus through a boring commute with your head in the clouds, try saying hello to a fellow commuter once in a while.

You can meet folks just about anywhere: The laundromat is a great place to meet someone, because everyone is stuck in a boring situation with too much time on their hands.

Join A Group

People join groups for many reasons, but I would wager my shoes on the possibility that breaking out of a boring routine is in the top five.

You name it, there’s a group for it. Knitting groups, sewing groups, singing groups, recovery groups, historical societies, game clubs, neighborhood theater ensembles, etc.

Education

If your career is stuck, further your education. Many fields require college degrees or a certain number of credits to reach the next pay level, such as teaching or nursing. You can’t jump from teacher’s aide to teacher without a masters degree in New York; and you can’t jump from there to an administrative job without an administrative certification. To move a nursing career forward, you can look for accelerated RN to BSN programs online.

But even without a promotion in mind, furthering your education helps you get unstuck. Every job from farming to social work becomes stale after awhile. You can look at your field f from a new angle or hone your skills by taking classes.

How To

The most accomplished man I know simply said one day that he found out when he was young that if he read something, then he could do it. He is now a dentist – but not just any dentist. He has multiple diplomas on every single wall of a large office suite, where he keeps a one-man practice going as a dentist and a top-notch reconstructive plastic surgeon.

How To books can certainly get you unstuck. Learn to cook or to speak a new language. Learn how to build a boat – then build one.

Volunteer

It works. Volunteer work is not all altruism. It is about giving back to your community or your fellow man, but it also about simply getting out of the house and breaking your routine.

Mother Nature

In its quiet way, Mother Nature is a terrific gift to those who are bored. A hike in the woods, where no two trees look the same, or trip to the ocean, where each wave seems to represent a new opportunity can be very rejuvenating.

Short of walking into a dangerous situation, many people believe that Mother Nature is out of reach if it rains or it’s windy out or it’s too cold or too hot. Mother Nature itself gives a myriad of reasons why you should stay indoors and watch from a distance.

But farmers know that if you dress correctly, you can get outdoors in cold, wet, windy or hot conditions and enjoy the outdoors on days when you expect it will be too big of a hassle or too big of a mess.

I still use what I learned in my farming days to go out for walks when everyone else thinks it is time to bake cookies.