Take the 2-Minute Feeling Stuck Check
Perhaps you're procrastinating on things that matter while somehow staying busy all day. Maybe you're overthinking decisions, feeling mentally overloaded, or simply have the sense that your life isn't moving forward in the way you would like.
The 15-item Feeling Stuck Scale can help you step back and get a clearer picture of where you are right nowā€”before deciding what to do next.
Free 7-page workbook. I'll also send you a short series of emails to help you get more out of the exercises and think about what to do next. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Feeling stuck doesn't always look like feeling stuck
When we think about feeling stuck, we often imagine knowing exactly what we want but being unable to move forward.
In reality, it isn't always that obvious.
You may feel mentally overloaded and find even fairly ordinary things harder than they should be. You may keep putting off something that matters to you, while somehow staying busy with lots of smaller things. You may spend far too much time thinking about the same problem without getting any closer to an answer, struggle to make a decision, or simply have the sense that your life isn't moving forward in the way you would like.
Sometimes we recognise this as feeling stuck.
At other times, we notice the individual piecesā€”procrastination, overthinking, indecision, exhaustion, frustrationā€”without necessarily seeing how they fit together.
The Feeling Stuck Check gives you a simple place to start.
What you'll find inside
The Feeling Stuck Check gives you a simple way to take stock of how things have been over the past weeks, understand what your score can tell you, and look at where you have some control over what happens next.
The 15-item Feeling Stuck Scale
Answer 15 questions about the past two weeks and calculate your score to get a clearer measure of how stuck you currently feel.
Understand your score
Your score tells you something about how stuck you feel. It doesn't tell you why. The workbook explains this distinction and why it matters before you start looking for solutions.
What is actually in my control?
Use a practical exercise I used frequently when I was a therapist - and still use myself - to identify where you have more control than you might think and decide what you can realistically do next.
Get a clearer picture of where you are
The Feeling Stuck Check takes only a few minutes to complete and gives you a useful starting point before you decide what, if anything, you want to change.
Free 7-page PDF. Delivered by email.
SEND ME THE FREE WORKBOOKWhy start here?
I am a scientist, so my instinct when something isn't working is to get more data before deciding what to do about it.
In everyday life, however, we often do the opposite.
We notice that something isn't working and immediately start looking for a solution. Perhaps we need a better routine, more motivation, more discipline, a new productivity system, more exercise - or whatever else seems as though it might fix the problem.
And sometimes it might.
But if we don't have a reasonable idea of what is happening, it is very easy to put a lot of effort into solving the wrong problem.
Think about using a map to get from A to B. Knowing where you want to go is useful, but it isn't enough. Before you can work out a sensible route, the map also needs to know where you are starting from.
The Feeling Stuck Scale is one way of beginning to establish Point A.
Hi, I'm Gwen
I'm Gwen Bach. I have a Master's degree in Applied Neuroscience and previously worked as a therapist.
I created Applied Brain Lab because I want to make useful psychological and neuroscience research accessible outside universities, clinics and scientific conferences.
I am particularly interested in what helps us understand our own behaviour and regain some control when things aren't working as we would like them to.
I don't believe that every problem can be solved with more motivation, positive thinking or another productivity technique. Some things genuinely are outside our control.
But I also don't believe that means we are powerless.
My approach is to understand what is happening, look at the evidence, and then work out where we can actually do something.
That's the thinking behind the Feeling Stuck Check.
GET THE FREE FEELING STUCK CHECKReady to find your Point A?
Take the 2-Minute Feeling Stuck Check, understand your score, and work out where you still have some control over what happens next.
You'll receive the PDF by email.
GET THE FREE WORKBOOKA note about the Feeling Stuck Check
The Feeling Stuck Check is an educational tool. It is not intended to diagnose a psychological condition and is not a substitute for medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.
If you are experiencing significant distress or mental health concerns, please seek support from a qualified professional.
