A stressor which inflicts great physical and emotional pain is the perception that you are STUCK which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. No one ever complains about being stuck in a good place. The connotation of being stuck is usually the negative mindset or the pain pathway. Here are typical situations of people who have confided that they are stuck:

• The doctors don’t know how to help me regarding my back pain. Nothing works ranging from steroid shots to physical therapy to strong pain meds. The doctors won’t do surgery because they don’t know the root cause of the raw nerve endings. I live in pain 24/7.
  
• I keep breaking up and then going back to my boyfriend who doesn’t take care of me or help me with my financial burden. He’s such a dreamer and the consummate salesman – always promising that his next scheme will hit it big. However, he never quite makes it. Everyone asks me what I am getting out of this relationship and I don’t know the answer. Maybe I’m afraid that I will end up alone.
  
• I was let go from a job in the human resources department of a big apartment building management firm because I just turned 60. Although no one mentioned my age, my replacement is half my age. I always had such good reviews, so I didn’t see it coming. They claimed that they were letting me go in order to take the firm in another direction. What are the odds I will find another comparable job?

Thoreau once said, “With all your science can you tell how it is, and whence it is, that light comes into the soul?”

3 ways to get stuck in a good place:

• We are nothing much on our own, but rather are mutually dependent. Align yourself with realists and dreamers. Reflect on and find what resonates just for you like peering into a gallery or knick knack store window looking for the right souvenir when you are on vacation. It is the painting or objet d’art that you must buy, or otherwise it will haunt you if you don’t. Similarly, whatever resonates for you will spur you on to move forward. Find your hidden treasure.
  
• You don’t need others to validate what your heart and soul advise you to do. Don’t give away your power to do what others tell you to do or want for you. What do YOU really want? When you know the answer, you will be motivated to pursue your answer.
  
• Take walks in nature to prepare to move forward in your life’s journey. When you are taking purposeful steps in a park, shoreline, or cityscape, you can think about moving forward in another aspect of your life. Great musicians know that the pauses between the notes are where the artistic skill lies. Enjoy the process because the destination is not as much fun as the journey. Unplug and reconnect with yourself.

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For more information on managing your stress and reclaiming your life read my book, Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life. To listen to archived radio shows with guest experts visit Turn On Your Inner Light Radio Show