Have you ever felt stuck? Like you want to go do something, but you feel superglued to your chair?  Or you want to be productive, but your legs just refuse to move? I’ve been there. Here is what I do to get out of it. 

The biggest thing I can recommend is to just not think about it. Yes, that can be very difficult, but overthinking can make it even more difficult to achieve your goals. Try not to think about why you want or need to do something, and instead focus solely on the task you are giving yourself.

For example, instead of thinking “I want to pick up my laundry because my room is a mess and I want to change that,” replace it with “I want to pick up my laundry.” If the reasoning behind it is overwhelming, it can cause you to overthink it and end up avoiding it. I cannot convey how many times I have had an individual item on my floor that didn’t belong, and it stayed there for a week just because I made it out to be worse than it was. 

Another thing I recommend is taking baby steps. There is nothing wrong with not being able to get everything done at once! Say, for example, you need to clean your entire room. Don’t! (Well, do, but just take your time). Break down your work into pieces that are easier to manage. Start with a shelf, then a table, then the floor, etc. If you need to break it down even further you can do that as well. Do what you can to make it feel possible. 

A great way to start is to get up. This is also the only way to start. Sometimes stress, anxiety, depression, or some other unknown force puts weights on us and makes it hard to start things.

Think of it like Newton’s first law of motion: an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion. If you are at rest, some force must be enacted to get you to move. If you are overthinking and just cannot get up, there is no force telling you to move. A good way to break that is to just move your feet. Move yourself in little pieces. Either you will move bit by bit until you are standing, or you may feel silly and prefer to just stand up. Either way, you will be up and ready to face the day!

Always remember that there is no shame in struggling where others succeed, and that you can ask for help any time.