The Top 10 Reasons You May Feel Stuck or Overwhelmed (And How to Actually Get Unstuck)

Do you need a quick way to get past that feeling of being stuck in the mud, or to stop staring at a blank screen for several minutes (or let's be honest, hours)? We've all been there. Sometimes we just hit a wall, and no amount of coffee or motivational desk quotes seems to help. The first step to move past the blockage is to determine why you're stuck in the first place. Let's look at the 10 reasons you may feel stuck and then what you can actually do to move past it.

The Top 10 Culprits Behind Feeling Stuck:

1. You may not have—or feel you don't have—the right skills or training to solve the problem. When you're facing something outside your wheelhouse, it's natural to freeze up. The gap between what you know and what you need to know can feel like the Grand Canyon.
   
   

2. Not having enough information or clear instructions can lead to confusion and an inability to proceed. It's hard to hit a target you can't see. Without clarity on expectations, priorities, or context, even the simplest task can feel impossible.
   
   

3. Fear of failure, making the wrong decision, or the unknown can lead to analysis paralysis and inaction. By the way, this is a big one for many people. When every option feels risky, it's easier to choose... nothing. Spoiler alert: that's also a choice, just not a great one.
   
   

4. Being stressed or burned out can zap your energy, making it hard to think clearly or find solutions. Your brain runs on fuel just like your body. When you're running on fumes, even small problems can feel insurmountable.
   
   

5. Not liking your job or the assignment. If you're feeling trapped or unfulfilled in a role, it can make it difficult to see past the immediate problem and find your motivation. It's tough to care about solving something when you don't care about the work itself.
   
   

6. Having unreasonable expectations. Comparing yourself to others or feeling the need to prove yourself can create a mental block. (We can talk about how social media plays into this perfectionism trap in another post—because that's a whole thing.)
   
   

7. A lack of communication, miscommunication, or misunderstandings can create an environment where problems aren't properly addressed, which will cause you to stop in your tracks. When messages get lost in translation, so does your progress.
   
   

8. Lack of support, unclear goals, or poor management behaviors can create obstacles for employees. Sometimes being stuck isn't a "you" problem—it's a systems or leadership problem that needs addressing.
   
   

9. Disagreements, clashing work styles, or toxic environments can cause conflict that prevents progress. It's hard to move forward when you're constantly navigating interpersonal landmines or dealing with unnecessary drama.
   
   

10. Having limited resources, support, or an overwhelming workload can make a task feel impossible to complete. When you're already juggling ten things and someone hands you number eleven, sometimes your brain just says "nope" and shuts down.

Solution: The Path Forward

Do you know the old saying, "Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity"? So stop the insanity! My guess is that at least one of these reasons for being stuck will resonate with you. The first step in moving past being blocked is to identify what the block actually is.

Once you identify it, you can try these solutions:

1. Take some time and do some deep work.

I know it's not always possible, but even a few minutes will help. Cal Newport wrote about deep work and defined it this way: "the act of focusing without distraction on a cognitively demanding task." Take some time, turn off your phone and email, and for many people, stepping away from the computer and working with paper and pen can help. There's something about physically writing that helps your brain process differently. Plus, your computer can't send you notifications when you're staring at a notebook. Win-win.

2. Plant a seed and ask yourself better questions.

In coaching, we talk about "planting a seed"—introducing an idea, thought, or perspective that can grow over time. In this case, think about the issue and ask yourself a series of questions. For example:

• If I could change anything about this situation, what would it be?

• What would it look like if I were able to move forward?

• What's the smallest possible step I could take right now?

• What would I tell a friend to do if they were in this situation?

Sometimes we're too close to our own problems to see the solution. Asking questions creates distance and perspective.

3. Ask for help—because you don't have to figure it all out alone.

Find a colleague, leader, mentor, or friend that you can bounce ideas off of. Sometimes just talking through the problem out loud helps you see it differently. And honestly? Other people can often see solutions that are invisible to us because they're not stuck in our heads with all our assumptions and baggage.

4. Step away and let your subconscious do the heavy lifting.

This might sound counterintuitive, but sometimes the best thing you can do is stop actively trying to solve the problem. Go for a walk. Take a shower. Work on something completely different. Sleep on it. Your brain is incredibly powerful and continues working on problems even when you're not consciously thinking about them. Some of the best solutions come when you're doing something mundane—because your mind finally has space to breathe and make connections.

5. Break it down into ridiculously small steps.

When something feels overwhelming, it's often because you're looking at the entire mountain instead of the next foothold. What's the absolute smallest action you could take right now? Not the "right" action or the "perfect" action—just an action. Sometimes motion creates momentum, and momentum breaks through stuck.

Here's the truth: The answers will come to you, but not always when you think they should or while you're intensely focused on solving the problem. Sometimes you have to trust the process, give yourself grace, and remember that being stuck is temporary—unless you choose to stay there.

To make this easier for you, I've created a 3-Question Reset Guide that will help you gain clarity, purpose, and impact when you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed. These three simple questions have helped countless leaders I've coached break through their blocks and move forward with confidence.

Discussion Question

What was a time you felt stuck, and what helped you work through it? Drop a comment—I'd love to hear your strategies.

Feeling stuck right now? Download the free 3-Question Reset Guide and get the clarity you need to move forward with confidence. It takes less than 5 minutes and might just be the breakthrough you need.