What to Do When You Feel Stuck

UNCAGED CLINICIAN
Blog

November 3, 2025

It first starts with humility

Inevitably everyone is going to hit a road block at some point in life, causing him or her to feel stuck.

One may feel this way in a particular job position with no signs of change.

Someone venturing out into entrepreneurship may feel directionless.

A veteran business owner may have a sense of stagnancy.

The feeling of being stuck can hit us in any arena beyond the work environment: as a parent, in our health (fitness), in friendships and relationships, and even in one’s spiritual growth.

In this writing, I want to direct the content more towards the workplace. But what is discussed here can be applied to whatever situation the reader is facing.

When feeling stuck, there are three key questions I believe that need answering.

I want to offer a couple of tips for finding a way out of Stuck, as well.

First, let me say that discovering Why one may feel stuck and How to become free both require the same ingredient: Humility.

Know this, feeling stuck is O.K.

Everyone experiences this, probably multiple times as life’s seasons change.

Start by asking, “Why am I stuck?” “Where is this coming from?”

Through this blog and the UNCAGED CLINICIAN Podcast we have distributed a plethora of content on fear, doubt, Imposter and Comparison Syndromes.

These Big Four can be - and are - giants that bog us down.

For times sake, I won’t dive into those topics too much here.

Fear tends to do one of two things: motivate or paralyze.

Obviously if we allow fear to paralyze us, then we simply can’t move. Literally and figuratively.

Our brains shut down. We may experience a sense of a panic attack.

Focusing too much on the outcome can make what we are trying to accomplish seem like an insurmountable task.

Imposter and Comparison both direct our attention away from our own game plan, our own strengths, and our own gifts.

In reality, we place our focus on other people or things, and not on the things we directly control.

Understanding why one feels stuck can be the first step towards progress.

Not every business owner is held up in the same place.

Next, identify Where you are feeling stuck.

There may be a particular growth phase in which there is a perceived challenge.

Areas can be in initiating conversations, getting conversions, developing Plans of Care, or simply where to start.

I recently had a discussion with one of our UNCAGED UNIVERSITY students who was feeling downhearted over her slow progress.

What was revealed was that she has been doing a lot of wonderful things and having great conversations with the gym members regarding their own aches and pains.

However, she wasn’t getting any conversions into therapy.

In recognizing where she was stuck, I was able to identify the road block. She was hyper-focused on hoping people would decide to see her for a traditional plan of care.

The solution, which put her at ease, was to help the individuals take the next easy step, which was for her to simply offer to have her take a look at the problem and perhaps all they needed was a simple tweak.

This would allow for those conversations to go further with additional nurturing, eventually leading to more conversions.

Knowing where you are stuck will point the way towards the help needed.

In other words, the answer can best be found in clarity.

What must be acknowledged is that growing as a business owner involves growing personally.

Growing involves changing. Changing of habits, changing of the heart, changing of the mind.

Too often we resist change.

Do a reality check. Is there something that you are resisting?

We may “blame” a fear, a doubt, or cry Imposter or Comparison, but there is a strong likelihood that the deep root is a resistance - to a growth or a change.

The third question is recognizing what support system you have (or don’t have) around you.

Remember, very few entrepreneurs have been taught how to build a business; particularly healthcare providers.

This fact, alone, sets us up to feel lost from the get-go.

Think of this: have you ever tried a new sport without instruction?

If so, chances are it was a frustrating experience (especially if it was skiing or snowboarding!)

How about the first time you found yourself on the side of the road with a flat tire?

If you were like me, you stood there for 30 minutes staring at the deflated rubber while scratching your head; eventually calling AAA.

Which leads to a point I want to make.

Yes, we all can learn how to do things like ski, play pickleball, play an instrument, and even change a tire.

But we will learn to be more proficient sooner, with greater success, and a whole lot less frustration when we involve someone who knows how to “do the thing”.

Do you have trusted individuals in your innermost circle with the right experience you can lean on?

Simply stated, we weren’t meant to do life alone.

Putting it all on your shoulders will require your own strength and accomplishments to keep you moving forward.

That is an upstream swim that becomes exhausting, fast.

Once these three questions have been addressed, you are ready to take action towards gaining momentum.

First, find gratitude and express it.

Even though you may be feeling as though four walls and the ceiling are caving in on you, there has been a decision or an action - even if it was in the past - that you can be proud of.

The decision in itself to “go for it” is a big win.

Don’t forget about the steps you have taken, regardless of the size of the steps.

Again, avoid becoming outcome focused.

Put others first.

Look for an opportunity to serve another person, even if that service is guiding them through their own road block.

Serving and expressing gratitude both unlock our creative thinking.

Laughter and joy previously suppressed due to stress will start to re-emerge.

We begin to sense a weight being lifted.

Determine to choose your spirit.

Like the Winnie-the-Pooh characters, we can choose to be Eore or Tigger.

Resistance is overcome by surrendering that which we are holding onto.

Surrendering involves a sacrifice, which may be our willingness to endure change and a shift in our heart posture.

The third phase of shedding resistance is being obedient to what is necessary.

Obedience to the process.

Be open and honest with yourself about where you are and why you are there.

Share it with humbleness to a trusted source, one who can walk you out of the muck.

Celebrate the wins you have already achieved, no matter how small.

On this week's UNCAGED CLINICIAN Podcast (release date: 11/5/25) you can listen to a full discussion of today's topic with Hannah DeGroot and myself. The The Podcast can be found on iTunes and Spotify.

Stuck is a common place to be.

We ALL have been there. More than once.

That is why we have created the new UNCAGED UNIVERSITY.

Our new program gives you the guidance and clarity to obtain your goals and your success.

We have eliminated time-stamps from the program.  You get to go through it at your pace.

You can even choose how much personal guidance you receive.

Why have we structured UNCAGED UNIVERSITY this way?

Because we recognize that everyone has different needs and desires when it comes to the help they are looking for.  

Want to learn more about UNCAGED UNIVERSITY? Schedule an UNCAGED UNIVERSITY Application call with us today!  OUR PROMISE TO YOU: NO HARD SELLING.

Details about UNCAGED UNIVERSITY can also be found here.

Also, be sure to check out our website for other resources!

Your Success is our success!

The UNCAGED team