When "Stuck" Isn't a Symptom, it's a Signal

We've all been there.

That moment in life, work, or healing when everything just… stops. The motivation dries up. The clarity disappears. The tools you used to rely on suddenly feel dull. And suppose you're like many of the people I work with, whether in therapy or mediation. In that case, you might name the experience like this:

"I feel stuck."

It's one of the most common phrases I hear and one of the most misunderstood.

In therapy, "stuck" often shows up as anxiety, burnout, or shame.

In mediation, it often looks like defensiveness, stonewalling, or chronic conflict.

But here's the truth I've come to recognize across both fields:

Feeling stuck isn't a personal failure. It's an inner alarm that your current strategy has run its course.

The Strategies That Got Us Here

The clients I serve, from high-achieving professionals to hurting families, often arrive with remarkable resilience. They've adapted, survived, and pushed through trauma, conflict, and change. But many of those survival strategies were built in moments of urgency, not alignment.

Some learned to please others to avoid rejection.

Some learned to over-function to maintain control.

Some learned to emotionally shut down to stay safe.

These patterns helped them survive. But eventually, what once protected us begins to confine us. And that's when the stuckness sets in.

"Stuck" is Not the End, it's the Invitation

When a client tells me they're stuck, I don't try to fix it right away. I don't rush them toward goals or positive affirmations. Instead, I invite them to get curious.

What part of you is keeping you here?

What's it afraid might happen if you move forward?

What does it need to feel safe enough to shift?

As you read this, I want you to pause and get curious. Is there any area where you currently feel stuck? Is the anxiety too high? The overwhelm feels never-ending?

In therapy, we might explore this using trauma-informed tools, somatic grounding, inner child healing, or hypnotherapy. In mediation, we might uncover emotional undercurrents driving legal conflict, grief, identity shifts, and attachment wounds and create a space where resolution feels possible, not forced.

Because stuckness, when listened to, becomes a signal.

It tells us: 'There's something here worth pausing for.'

There's a pattern to examine, a belief to rewrite, or a wound to tend to before we try to move again.

From Stuck to Shift

Sometimes, people ask me how they'll know when they're no longer stuck. The answer isn't always a big breakthrough. More often, it's subtle:

A deeper breath.

A moment of calm in the chaos.

A willingness to consider a new possibility, however small.

The first sign of forward movement is often the return of curiosity.

Whether I'm sitting in a therapy office, the pasture with the horses, or a mediation room, that's the moment I look for the moment someone starts to trust themselves again, even just a little.

An Invitation to You

If you feel stuck in your healing, relationship, career, or identity...I want to gently remind you:

You're not broken; you're building.

You don't need to push harder.

You need to listen deeper.

"Stuck" may not be a symptom of failure. It may signify readiness to evolve, rest, unlearn, and realign.

And if you're unsure where to begin, that's okay, too.

Sometimes, the first shift begins simply by saying, "I'm ready to see this differently."

Have you ever felt stuck in a way that led to growth or change?

What strategies once protected you that no longer serve you?

What helps you feel safe enough to move forward?

By Jessica Oliver, LCSW | Founder, Peaceful Pastures Ranch & Calm in Chaos

About the Author

Jessica Oliver, LCSW, is a trauma therapist, hypnotherapist, and Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator. She is the founder of Peaceful Pastures Therapy and Calm in Chaos Mediation. Her work bridges the gap between emotional healing and legal conflict resolution, helping individuals and families navigate anxiety, trauma, and transition with compassion, clarity, and grounded tools.

🔗 www.peacefulpasturesranch.org

🔗 www.calminchaos.net