Feeling Stuck?

Is there an area of your life where you feel stuck? Maybe the rhythms or methods you’ve used for years just aren’t working anymore. Or it could be they’re working, but a particular part of your life is no longer bringing you joy. It's easy to get stuck in doing things the same way day after day without even realizing that you’re now in a slump. Maybe you’ve verbalized it to a friend or maybe you’re just now thinking about an area where you’re stuck. For me, I was stuck in preparing/cooking weekday meals. Sunday Family Lunches and Holidays were still fun to prepare, but empty-nest cooking felt like a chore and a burden. We wanted to eat healthier but it seemed like the impossible dream. I constantly cooked more of the same menus than we needed, wasted food and ended up eating out more than desired. One Sunday morning, I was describing my slump to a young chef/friend and Kelsey said “Have you tried Blue Apron or Hello Fresh?” That prompted me to go online, download the app and start a cooking adventure that has changed my perspective and changed our eating habits.

After 8 weeks of using this new meal delivery method, I now look forward to meal prep & cooking time again! We are trying new foods and have a portion-controlled meal every night. I’m still evaluating the budget, but I think we are also saving money. Now before you think I’m selling Blue Apron, I think this is just one example of how we can get out of a slump. Here’s what I learned in the process:

• Verbalize the slump. Being able to say “This is an area where I feel stuck” is the first step in naming what is not working. In the case of my weeknight meals, it was the planning and shopping for ingredients that contributed to my problem.

• Phone a friend/ask for help. Sometimes we don’t want to admit to others that we don’t have it all together or we can’t figure our way out of a slump. Think about who might be more accomplished in the area you’re struggling with, or maybe they are just a few steps ahead.

• Try something new. While it would be easier to keep doing things the same, that will never get us moving in a new direction. The very definition of ‘slump’ is “a period of substantial failure or decline”. None of us want to fail - even in the small things of life - so try the new fashion, download an app, Pinterest or even google a solution and give it a go.

• Evaluate and adapt. Give your new project or passion a decent amount of time to see if it’s working for you, then count the costs and benefits. You can always cancel the service, change the schedule or tweak the process.

I hope that this gets you thinking beyond feeling stuck and gives you the nudge to explore an area where you need forward movement. In the meantime, I’m going to apply these principles to another area of 'stuckness' I'm personally feeling and will report back!