What to Do When You Feel Stuck and Lost in Life

How to Find yourself when you feel lost and stuck

Have you been feeling lost and stuck in life?  What do you do when you feel you are not where you need to be in life and don’t know where to start to change direction? But when you feel lost and stuck in a life you must sit yourself down and be real with yourself. You must silence all the other voices that have dictated your actions up to this moment.

From here on out, ask yourself what you really want in life.  You have been shaped by years of conditioning, but to find yourself and get unstuck, you must undo this conditioning.

So in this post, I will walk you step by step and show you how to finally find yourself again.  We all know when things in our lives are out of line. We get this inner voice that whispers to us telling us we need to change. And I suggest you pay attention to the inner voice.

Feeling lost and stuck in life is a common feeling, unfortunately. Life, of course, doesn’t come with instructions so it is just a matter of time before we hit a roadblock in life, and get stuck and lost.

But you can find yourself, get unstuck, and live a full happy life.  We all want to live happy fulfilling lives.  But unfortunately, far too often, we lose ourselves and feel stuck in life.

When this happens we can feel like there is a secret password that others know and we don’t.  And so we continue to trudge along in life just putting one foot in front of the other numb and adrift, with no passion in life.

And that’s just too bad because life then just feels bland, tasteless, meaningless, and joyless.  We lose ourselves living without the zest for life.

It is easy to get stuck, lose direction, and feel adrift.  Unfortunately, it can be hard knowing where to begin to build a life you love so that you live with passion, find meaning, and live fully, and joyfully.

You are not wrong to think that life should be blissful and fulfilling. It should! We should not be moving about in life as if we are part of a masquerade dance- like zombies moving about a  stage.

If you are feeling lost and want to find yourself again, I want to say it is time. Life is supposed to be lived and not just endured. It is not easy. In fact, finding yourself when feeling lost and stuck is one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life.

But what power and light after!  What an amazing sense of self and purpose after! So it is important that if you are feeling stuck and lost now, you start doing everything necessary to come back to yourself.

So how exactly can one start on the path towards finding themselves if they feel stuck and lost…adrift?

We will look deeper into how to find you can create a life that lights you up every day. It is time to live with passion. This step-by-step guide will guide you to finally find yourself.

Let’s get to it. Here is what to do to find yourself.

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How to find yourself when you feel stuck and lost in life

Identify what you really want

The first step to finding yourself when you feel lost and stuck in life is taking stock of your life. Ask the hard questions. Outline the kind of life you want.

Sometimes we get bogged down living other people’s dreams for our lives. This may be because someone important in our lives told us it was the best thing for us and we followed along because we didn’t know better.

Or we were too intimidated to say otherwise or we believed it then and we thought that was the best.

Parents especially are implicated in this scenario. As parents, we want the best for our children and our parents wanted the best for us.

They wanted us to have the job that makes the most money maybe, or to marry that boy… and which parents don’t want their child to go to an Ivy League school and become well, a doctor, a lawyer, and such traditional well thought of careers.

But what if your child wants to become an artist? What if you wanted to become a dancer, or something else? Figure out what got you caught in this quagmire in the first place.   Sit down and really think about what it is you’d rather be doing in this life.

Sometimes we are stuck in other areas of life such as relationships. Career choices and relationships are some of the most common areas that can cause you to feel stuck.

So just start evaluating what you really want for a career, and why.  You should also evaluate current relationships and think about what about them is making you unhappy

If it is a significant relationship such as marriage, think about what areas in it need change and if that is possible. The other person may not think as you do.

They may not want to change anything or it may be that they cannot change. Counseling may help you both. And a big decision may need to be made.

To really feel unstuck you may have to start over and that can be pretty scary so make sure you have thought this through and it is the only way for you to be the you that you should be.

If you just have a vague sense of unease, one good way to get clear is to do a brain dump exercise. Just sit down and write all the things you would like to do feel and experience.

Don’t worry if some of them sound silly or impossible. Write down everything you think you desire and that would make you happy.

It may be the cities you want to visit or live in,  people you would love to meet, the best career, how much money you think you need,  the house you want, how you want to spend your time, hobbies you want to try, or practice and more.

Write everything down. Then start coming to the list daily and analyzing every area and its possibilities.

Look at the list and see what really speaks to you and explore that idea more. It may show you what is really missing and help you see the direction you need to go in.

Discover what drives you.

What drive you? What is your passion?  It is possible to feel so lost when you live passionless with nothing that really lights the fires of your heart and your mind. We all need something that makes us jump out of bed every morning with anticipation.

What is it that you so love to do and your eyes and mind light up with ethidium for?   It may be a hobby that you enjoy on the side while you drudge along daily going to your day job. But you may want to think of it differently.

Can you turn that hobby into something that becomes your living? A career?  It is possible. And now even more than ever.

Many are making a living out of their love of gardening, photography, cooking, you name it.  So just think about the one thing you love to do and start looking at ways you can make it your way of life.

 Visualize the life you want.

Don’t just think about the life you want. Bring it into sharp focus. Visualize it. There is great power in visualization.  To start, picture your best day and how the day would unfold, and what you would be doing. Picture your weekends.

Where are you and what are you doing?  Allow yourself to dream. Visualize the best career and what you would do on a day-to-day basis.

Create a vision board that showcases what you want your life to look like. Do you what to travel? Find symbols of cities you want to see and put them on your vision board

If you want a new career, find something to represent that. Or do you want freedom? Put as many symbols and representations of what you envision on your vision board and keep it prominent so you see it daily as a motivator.

It is okay to dream.  Bring that image of the best life for you into focus through the power of visualization.

Have some goals

One important step in finding yourself when feeling lost is setting smart goals.

Thinking alone will not move you forward. You need a plan that will help you and motivate you to take the right actions. Without goals,  you lack direction and you may find things overwhelming and you may give up. Goals and a plan of action will propel you forward.

If it is a new career you want, have goals towards that such as the goal to enroll in a class by a certain time or to accomplish a step toward your desired career, maybe write a new resume.  So start making smart goals and planning and then implement those plans by taking daily action.

Related post: Steps to attaining your health goals in 2019

Starting taking action

Just do it. Take action. You must of course take action to start creating the life you want.  It is how you find yourself. It is work.

But what joy when you start seeing the results? When you are living in your truth and power.  And don’t worry about perfection. Take imperfect actions, and just keep moving forward.

They don’t have to be big steps. But you must take a step every day. A small step every day will add up over time.

Other than before you have achieved great things and so can you achieve the dream you have for your life. ” Take action! An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention”- Steve Manali

You cannot achieve anything if you don’t take the first step. So think about what you want and what is the tiniest step you can take towards it. Before you know it these tiny imperfect steps will add up and soon they will be one giant step toward achieving your dream life.

And don’t let self-doubts derail you. Doubt kills many dreams and keeps many immobilized. I like this quote by Mel Robbins ” Your doubts create mountains. Your actions move them.”

Stop Comparing yourself

Remember, you are one of a kind. You are amazing. Claim that power.  It is when you claim and own your uniqueness, the quirks and all-and really own who you are, that you really start to feel joy in life.

Don’t compare or try to be someone else. Oh, the woe that comparison can cause! Just scroll through Facebook for 5 minutes or Instagram. And Instantly you start to question your life. Are you even alive?  Are you good enough?

Do you dress well enough? How pretty is everyone you see on your feed and their perfect lives? Stop.  Go right now and look yourself in the mirror and say after me,  ” I am beautiful, and I am enough.”

If however there is something positive you can do to improve yourself, then let what you see inspire a change such as eating right and exercising.

Do you want a certain way of dressing or grooming, then learn and create that if it will help you feel more confident. Nothing wrong with that.

Love yourself and replace all those negative thoughts with positive thoughts.  Don’t compare apples to oranges and remember the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Others are probably right now envying you. It is okay to improve yourself and your life,  but not because you want to impress anyone, or because you saw certain people do certain things.

Just know what you want because it will make you feel whole and full. Be fueled by the right purpose.

Related post: 11 Simple Good Habits for a Happier Life

Find new friends.

There may not be anything wrong with your current friends, but if they are stuck too and they want to maintain things as they are then you too will likely stay stuck. You all will have a common comfort zone.

To get unstuck you have to upgrade your relationships. You need people who are driven to move forward. You need people who have a  vision for self-improvement and success.

People who want to move past their comfort zone. So seek to relate to people who will motivate you and who are also motivated. It is good when you have a buddy to challenge you on the journey to change.

Go way back

Remember the dreams you had for your life way back when you were younger, before the world threw cold water on your dreams. Revisit those dreams.

Yes, retrace your steps to the time when you used to have enthusiasm for life. Remember the time you had so much hope for how your life would turn out? What dreams did you have then? What happened to stump them out? Feel how you felt then and harness that vision.

Sometimes life can really throw lemons at us.

Sometimes someone in your life discouraged your dreams and said they were silly or that you were not equipped to pursue those dreams. Something happened to derail you and completely alter the course of your life.

We are at times the product of our immediate environment.    Maybe family or whoever came along and poofed your spark out. Dig that dream out. Dust it, shine it, and start going after it again.

Spend time alone

Learn to appreciate alone time. Go places by yourself.

Go to the movies and to dinner by yourself. Embrace quiet alone time. Use these times to reflect on the life you want.

Get to really know yourself. Get in touch with the real you. Journaling is a powerful way of understanding yourself and your unique perspectives, drive, and circumstances.

Establish a  routine that nurtures your mind and body through journaling.

And it helps too to have journal prompts if you are so stuck and you don’t know where to start.  Look for pretty journals such as this. I am all for pretty notebooks personally.  Here are a few others that may inspire you as well.

Look closely at the areas in your life that are no longer bringing joy. Are there relationships that need fixing or that you need to leave behind?

Or is it a career choice that is stressing you?  Is it the job that is not fulfilling you?   A career choice you regret. It is a bad career choice?

Come up with a well-thought-out plan to move forward.

During these times, layout plans for betterment. Write down new goals and plans for action. Also, appreciate what is good in your life. There is always something to be thankful for. And being thankful adds positivity, joy, and hope that more good things are coming.

Leave the comfort zone

Many people get stuck and lost in their comfort zone. It is easy, and familiar and a step out feels so daunting and scary. Our brains are designed to keep us here where it is safe and familiar.

It is a trick. Nothing makes a life sadder than being stuck in fear of going after the big things. Living a mediocre life due to fear and self-doubt. Banish that self-doubt and go after the big fish.

It is when we dare to go after our dreams that life becomes exhilarating. Imagine now how it would feel to succeed in the one thing you really want to do. Envision it. Then start taking steps. Even if you just take the tiniest steps they add up.

In the book, The Compound Effect by Darren  Hardy,  Darren outlines how small actions every day, lead to the outcomes that you desire, and of course, even inaction will also lead to their own outcomes.  I highly recommend reading The Compound Effect. Check it out here. 

The brain tries to protect us from danger, so those big dreams are scary. But remember, the scarier they are the more meaningful they are.

So to really find yourself, you have to face your fears and go after the big scary goals. Push now past your comfort zone to find yourself.

You really don’t want to look back later and wish you had taken more risks. At the end of life, many people regret not taking risks. So now is the time to really live.

Take more risks. Take action and dare to live now.

 Change your Mindset

Sometimes we stay stuck because our mindset keeps us thinking small. We create a narrative that keeps us small and stuck. Look closely at how you see yourself if you are feeling stuck and lost in life.

Have you ever thought you are just a nobody from no account heritage maybe? Or do you worry that you are not educated enough?   Did someone tell you you are something or other? It is time my friend, to think big and see yourself as the person you are supposed to be -would like to be.

Identify that origin story and change it. When you do change the narrative, you will change your life. Changing the story that doesn’t serve is very important when we are feeling stuck in life.

Listen and watch this inspiring video so you can stop being average and small. Discover your purpose.

You can learn to change the way you think about yourself and your abilities.  You can change all that negative talk that keeps you from moving forward. Negative thoughts are powerful and unfortunately pretty overpowering.

And since you have thought a certain way for so long,  neuropathways have been etched that keep you thinking the same way. But you can make new neuro-pathways that empower you.

You just have to practice a different way of thinking every day.  In other words,  think you can and you will.  All you have to do is believe in your ability. Now that is power.

People have done amazing things by believing and thereby surmounting some great odds. If you want to start living a meaningful life then you must overcome your limiting beliefs.

Redirect those niggling self-doubts and small thinking. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Try saying affirmations even if you have to practice in front of a mirror.

That inner critic has to be beaten into submission and overcome so you can truly find yourself again.  Don’t believe much of that inner critical voice tells you what you can’t do.

Find inspiring mentors

On the journey to finding yourself, and getting unstuck, you need a guide, a mentor.

Find someone who has done what you want to do. Which areas of your life make you feel stuck?  Seek out people who have been there and understand the struggle.

Look for people who have done what you want to do and ask for guidance.  Learn and get inspired. Practice the lessons they provide until they become a force of habit.

A life coach or business coach would be great.  But there are other ways of getting inspiration.

You can find inspiration on Youtube, listen to amazing inspirational Ted Talks, Podcasts or read self-improvement books. You can follow inspiring people on Facebook and other social platforms. Learn from experts and then perfect these new skills.

Educate your self

So when you are finally ready to move past feeling stuck in life, one important thing is educating yourself.

Is there something you have always wanted to learn, to become but somehow you were dissuaded or got discouraged? Learning new things will feel you with pride and is a great step to take when you feel stuck.

If you truly want to feel alive and live the life you desire, then you need to learn to do the things that inspire you. To learn what the new life you envision and want requires creating reading books on it and educating yourself.

Learn what is needed to create the new life you want.  Do you need to go back to school? Or is it something you can do by educating yourself at home?

Good thing the internet now has so much info.  Invest in yourself and your education.

Forgive and forget

One terrible thing that keeps us stuck in life is holding on to old hurts and disappointments in life.

The weight of carrying old hurts and disappointments and anger can keep you stuck and mired in negative feelings. This leads to a dimmed light and heaviness in the heart and mind.

We can’t help that we come across people who just don’t live to our expectations. If these people are immediate family members I suggest finding a good mental counselor to talk to for perspective.

You may need to shift your outlook, and if you are right and someone really did you wrong, a therapist can help you learn to let go and move on.

Help yourself by letting go of old negative emotions. Don’t carry a tire around your neck. It will suffocate the life out of you. This lack of shine in this dimmed light only attracts more negativity.

You have heard of the law of attraction. Some people think it is only woo-woo, but it works. We attract what we are already looking for.

So if all we think about is negativity more of the same we manifest. But when we speak light and positivity, more will come into our lives. Try it.  And learn to forgive and move on.

Take responsibility

When you feel stuck and lost in life you must take responsibility for your own life.

Finally, be in the driver’s seat. Start to steer your life in the direction you want it to go. Focus on your dream and stop looking to other people to make it happen. Stop the blame game. That is in the past.  Forgive and move on. Getting stuck in blame just makes you angry and bitter and keeps you from claiming your power.

Stop blaming others for what went wrong in the past. Shake it off and move on to goals in sight and start living purposely knowing fully that the world, unfortunately, doesn’t owe anyone anything.

We all must create our own reality, and we can change our circumstances. You can succeed in spite of the present reality if you believe enough in yourself, your abilities, and your dreams.

We must step forth and stop expecting anything from anyone. Avoid blame and make your dream a reality by keeping it in focus.  Live purposefully.

Again, a mental health professional and a life coach can help you see clearly, bury your hurtful past and forgive so light can come into your heart.

Negativity and blames are too heavy and they keep one stuck in the past. Live today for yesterday is gone and you can make tomorrow so much better.

What to do when you feel stuck and lost in life

Do a deep clean

Yes, cleaning is important in finding yourself when you feel lost and stuck in life. Nothing like a thorough deep clean to fill you up with inspiration. A clean orderly environment clears the mind. It makes you feel light, unencumbered, and expansive.

When you have things in order and the house is clean, you feel a sense of achievement as well. This is a great first step in getting unstuck. 

And keeping excess stuff you don’t need is a sure sign you are stuck in life and of unhappiness.  Cleaning and getting rid of stuff is a big step to getting unstuck.

And hoarding all things is very stressful and an energy zapper that causes one to go in circles not knowing where to start and feeling stuck.

Do a deep dive cleaning of your whole house.

You will feel happier which will help you move on and leave behind the experiences you no longer care for. It will help you break free.  It will inspire and energize you.

A deep clean of not just your house but your entire life is a great first step to moving forward baggage-free.

Go on and prune relationships you don’t need. Clean your inbox as well and keep mail from only people you truly want to hear from.

And while you are at it you may want to follow only people who inspire you on social media.  Keep your real and virtuous environments inspirational.

Seek mental health help.
One big reason people feel stuck is when they are dealing with a mental health struggle or life issues that are way too big to resolve alone.

These require a therapist and counseling. In some cases, you may need treatment to clear the fog so you can see things clearly and have a more objective view of your situation so you know how to move forward. When you feel stuck in life and just feel lost, it is profoundly important that you seek counseling and mental health help. We all sometimes have blinders on and need someone else to help clear the path.

Seeking treatment is not a weakness. No, it is indeed strength. So make that call today and start finding yourself again

Final words

Start getting unstuck today. Take the first step and do one thing today that you will be proud of. It may be the smallest step. But when you feel stuck, beginning small is actually best.

Just take a small step every day, and every day you will be that close to living the life you have always wanted. A life of freedom, passion, and true happiness is possible.

So now, tell me what step will take first. Or are you living the life you have always wanted? I would love to hear more about it. Tell me here in the comments.