When You’re Stuck in the Tree

 

Sometimes it can feel as though no matter what you try, no matter what you do, you are stuck in the mud. We all have a past. The past informs the present and sometimes the future if we cannot move beyond the past. While we only have this moment, right now, today, many people live their lives mired in the past--things they did or didn't do, relationships they let go of or relationships they should have let go of or kept. Thoughts, and more thoughts of failure, indecision, pain or fear.  We think we are stuck. There is no hope. We can't see a way beyond the current situation.

But what I know is that there are a myriad number of ways to view stuck-ness.  And there are several things to consider before making your next "move."  Often, our first impulse is to "power through" it. To force things to change.  This often leads to being more stuck, as in mud.  Another initial impulse is from our flight or fight instincts.  We may try to relocate ourselves--sometimes in the extreme by moving hundreds or thousands of miles away from the place where we were stuck.  All this ends up doing is creating a change in geography. Usually the stuckness re-occurs.

When I was contemplating becoming an ordained minister, I found that no matter what I did, my work on my business was just exactly like slogging through mud.  I felt entirely stuck.  I had to take a different perspective and at one point whatever I was actually able to complete at the end of the day, I praised myself for doing it and released myself from any guilt or upset about not having completed more. That helped.  Then I started asking myself questions like, if not this, then what?  And in very short order, I got my answer.

The next thing to do is to ask yourself a series of questions:  What do I want?  What do I choose?  What is for my highest and best good?

Another way to handle when you are stuck is to relax. Think of a cat stuck in a tree. It usually isn't the cat that is upset and worried but the human companion. The cat, normally, just lies down on a tree limb, observes as the fireman climbs the ladder and then allows itself to be carefully extricated.  Sometimes you may not be able to move beyond it by yourself. In those cases, choose judiciously whom you allow to work with you and ask lots of questions about what their methods are, their credentials etc. especially if they are messing around with your mental well-being.

What I DO know for sure is that stuckness, like just about everything in life, does not last forever.  It is a temporary situation. You can be gentle with yourself during these times and learn to trust with absolute faith that God always has your back, always has the very best for you.  If something isn't happening as you plan, then you can be assured that there is something better for you.

(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of Pixabay.