Feeling Stuck? Start Moving!

A few weeks ago, I had a short bout of the blues that I had a hard time shaking off. Not finding any clear trigger for my uncharacteristically negative feelings, I felt myself slipping further and further into “bummed out” mode. I felt… stuck. The more I tried to mentally drag myself out of it, the further I seemed to slip! So I changed course. I started to move—physically. 

Even though I didn’t really feel like going to the gym, I bargained with myself—my date with the elliptical could be shortened to twenty minutes instead of my typical half hour, oh, and once I was home, I’d reward myself with ten minutes of online “window shopping”. 

Would you believe that this started to work?! My physical exercise actually made a to my emotional state. I started to feel freer, a little more lively, and “awake”. 

But I wasn’t quite done. 

I knew that those “feeling better” vibes wouldn’t last if I wasn’t able to sustain them or never figured out the root of the problem. More movement could be the antidote. So, I moved my body in other ways—or rather, I let someone else move it for me. 

Massage. Yep, next I went for a sixty-minute massage at my local day spa, complete with a visit to the herbal steam shower and relaxation room. The massage therapist used the customary Swedish techniques and then incorporated Thai massage as well, maneuvering my arms and legs in different positions. I could practically feel the stagnating energy start to move around and free itself up. I could feel my mind easing some more. 

I parked further than necessary from the spa, so that I’d have a longer walk. More movement, more mental freedom! Feeling more like myself with each new activity, I started thinking in solution mode: What did I need to do differently? Which responsibilities did I have to keep? Which worst-case scenarios should I plan for? What things that I love have been missing from my routine lately? 

I collected all my responses to those questions and sat with them for a while, so that I could look at them holistically and figure out the magic patterns and missing pieces that were common amongst them. 

I discovered that my funk was a combination of not being able to engage in some of my hobbies and really missing them. This was a direct result of not having the free time to devote to them, due to a change in my daily commute. 

Now I had something to work with—in which areas of my life could I save time so that I could make room for other things I want, need, and know help me thrive? How might I be able to use movement to help me with my next challenges, since it seemed to deliver results before? I discovered two possible areas where I could eliminate or cut down on time, to make more time for other activities. My next experiment was to think about which of those two options to choose while incorporating movement. I decided to play a song twice and dance to it, once for each of my possible choices. Each time, I would focus on a choice, with the idea that the one that truly resonates with me would show in my dancing—it would give me greater freedom, lightness and fluidity of movement, and creativity (not only in the way I danced to the music but approached solutions). I found this to be a great way to avoid feeling stuck while making a decision. 

After those glum few weeks, coming back to movement had a significant positive effect on me. By allowing myself even a few minutes to be expressive and in a way that is one of my favorites, I felt myself become unstuck. 

What are some ways you have used movement to help you sort out your thoughts? What do you think your experience would be like if you were to use movement to free up mental blocks or emotional discord? Post in the comments below—I’d love to hear from you! 

—Victoria Crispo, July 2015 Career Coach