Are You Stuck? Part Two: RUN!

Welcome back to part two in this series on being “stuck” and the journey to getting “unstuck.” Last month, we talked about the first step in getting unstuck, and that was to rest. We took 30 days to practice taking just 5 minutes each morning to rest, to check in with yourself, to breathe deeply, and to take a thought inventory to better understand what you are carrying around with you that has you stuck. If you have been on this journey with us, you have probably already discovered so much about yourself, your mindsets, and your burdens, that you are hopefully now intrigued by the process, hopeful for change, and ready to go further. If you are new to the series, then welcome, and it is not too late to join in from here!

Last month, I ended with the notion that the root of being stuck is often fear. We may fear rejection; so, we are stuck in loneliness, too afraid to take a risk to make a new friend or go on a date. We may fear humiliation. So, we stay stuck in a dead-end position at work, too afraid to ask for that promotion or to take that training course to open new doors of opportunity. We may stay stuck as an employee who longs to be an entrepreneur, too afraid that financial ruin awaits us if we leave the comfort zone of the steady paycheck. We may stay stuck in being overweight because we fear facing our emotions that we medicate with food…or we fear facing yet another failed diet plan and the credibility and respect of our friends and family as they watch us lose weight only to gain it back again. There are so many ways that being stuck shows up in our lives, and yet, the good news is that: 1) you are not alone and 2) you have the power to get unstuck!

Yes, every human being faces “stuckness” at various points in our lives…every. single. one. So, I will say it again. If you are stuck, you are not alone! Furthermore, since the “stuckness” takes root in mindsets, you have the power to find the key to getting unstuck. You are not powerless! With that, I present to you the challenge for the next 30 days…RUN TOWARDS what scares you. I want to encourage you to use the daily rest habit you have built (or start now if you haven’t already), to better know what mindsets are holding you back. What fears, insecurities, or anxieties seem to come up repeatedly? What themes emerge as you inventory these daily? Also, think small. Think about the little things you do each day to avoid the uncomfortable. For example, do you take a different route to the water cooler just to avoid seeing the mirror on the wall that reminds you that you are not happy with your body? That discomfort or uncomfortable feeling that you are avoiding is rooted in fear. Look for the discomforts that dictate your actions, and you may uncover fears you did not realize you were carrying around.

I will end with a personal story because I think that personal stories are the most interesting, the most transformative, and the most convincing when it comes to pathways to change. In the year 2021, I was challenged in my prayer time to do just this: run towards what scared me. For that entire year, if I noticed anxiety or fear, I had to move towards it, not away from it. I thought about David and Goliath and how David “…ran quickly toward the battleline to meet the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:48 AMP). I had a mandate to do the same. At that time, I had never been in a gym in my life (unless you count the one time I visited one as a teenager and quickly realized it wasn’t for me). I had been working out at home and had gotten bored with it…stagnant…I was stuck. I hired a virtual trainer out of state, and I began working with her. I knew I needed a change from the at-home workouts in order to move forward. However, I was so intimidated by the gym. Gym anxiety is a real thing, and I had it..bad!

So, riddled with gym anxiety and driven by motivation to please my trainer and to get unstuck, I drove to the gym I had identified through an online search that I wanted to join, and I sat in the parking lot, afraid to go in. I cranked my car back up and thought, “Well, baby steps, I drove here today…tomorrow, I’ll come back and actually join.” Then, I remembered my mandate, “If it scares you, run TOWARDS it.” So, first, I got mad about that…then I whined about it to myself and to God, and then I got out of my car, and walked in to the gym and joined. Then I left. The first workout is another story for another day. However, what I want to tell you about that day is that it changed my life. The gym has since become my happy place, a place where I have learned so much more than fitness and good health. I have learned that I can do so much more than I ever thought possible. The gym has given me a place where I have been able to pass on to my kids the love of fitness, building a legacy of good health. The gym has taught me that I must be willing to look stupid in order to grow, and it has also taught me that looking stupid is usually only in my head anyway. I say all of this to encourage you that those “little” things that you keep avoiding in order to avoid feelings of discomfort are actually big keys to big open doors that can change your life for the better, get you unstuck, and release incredible blessings into your life.

So, for the next 30 days, if you are ready to continue the journey to getting unstuck, let’s travel together on this pathway to courage over fear, to movement over stagnation, and let’s RUN quickly toward the battleline to meet the “Philistines” that keep you stuck, fearful, and stagnated. Let’s run together!

(Originally published in the December 2024 edition of Monroe Matters, a local newspaper publication in Forsyth, Georgia)

Lisa Elliott Schumacher, LPC

Life By Design Counseling

Lisa is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Monroe County resident, and a mental health practitioner who is passionate about helping others find their purpose, live fully, and to live holistically healthy lives, body, soul, and spirit. She believes life is meant to be lived by design, not by chance, and she aspires to help others live by design, wholly, fully, and vibrant. The sharing of these thoughts is in no way therapy or a substitute for therapy. If you are in crisis right now...Call or Text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. If you are having a medical emergency, a safety emergency requiring law enforcement, EMS, or experiencing a fire emergency:   DIAL 911.