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Feeling Stuck? Here’s What Might Be Going On Beneath the Surface
- Rachel Laverick
- Jul 19, 2025
- 2 min read
It’s a frustrating place to be. You’ve got goals, responsibilities, maybe even a clear to-do list. And yet… nothing moves. You procrastinate. You freeze. You spin in your head.
The worst part? You don’t even know why.
The truth is, feeling stuck isn’t laziness or failure - it’s feedback. It’s your nervous system, your beliefs, or your mental load throwing up a red flag. And until you understand what’s happening underneath, it’s hard to push forward - no matter how motivated you are.
Let’s break it down.
1. You're stuck because you're in survival mode
When your nervous system is overwhelmed - from stress, anxiety, or constant decision-making - your brain doesn’t prioritise creativity or momentum. It prioritises safety.
You might feel distracted, indecisive, or exhausted no matter how much sleep you get. That’s not a mindset problem - it’s a regulation problem. Until you reset your system, no productivity hack will touch it.
What helps:
Grounding techniques like breathwork, sensory awareness, or movement
Getting out of your head and into your body (walks > whiteboards)
Tools like hypnotherapy to calm the nervous system at the root
2. You're stuck because your mind is protecting you
Sometimes the stuckness isn’t resistance - it’s protection.
Fear of failure
Fear of success
Fear of being seen, wrong, or not enough
Your mind associates action with risk, so it stalls. You might rationalise it as “bad timing” or “needing to figure things out first” - but really, your subconscious is just trying to keep you safe.
What helps:
Naming the fear honestly
Challenging the belief behind it (Is this actually true?)
Taking one small action anyway - and proving your brain wrong
3. You're stuck because you haven’t made a decision
We often confuse thinking with progress. But clarity doesn’t come from circling. It comes from deciding - even if that decision is small.
Indecision drains energy and feeds doubt. Once you pick a direction (any direction), you free up mental space to move.
What helps:
Setting time limits on overthinking
Talking it out with someone objective
Trusting that clarity often follows action — not the other way around
You’re not broken - just blocked
The next time you feel stuck, pause before you label it as a failure. Ask instead:
Is my nervous system overworked?
What am I trying to avoid or protect?
What decision am I resisting?
“The brain is a prediction machine. When we feel stuck, it’s usually because we’re running an outdated script — and afraid to test a new one.”
Untethered Mind helps women get unstuck - not with more pressure, but with tools that work with the mind, not against it. Through psychotherapy, coaching, and hypnotherapy, we create space to calm the system, shift the pattern, and build self-led momentum.
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