I was taking two summer classes this past year which began a few weeks after finals ended — and it was all online. I left little time for anything besides studying in addition to the loads of stress I was already under. I hadn’t really had a break in such a long time, I had been studying nonstop for years. All this led to a huge breakdown, and I felt stuck. I didn’t know what I wanted to study anymore or even what I liked to do, I had no time for hobbies and I wasn’t even sure I was on the right path. I only knew that I was not happy and I was overwhelmed. I started to listen to what other people told me I should do instead of what I had already decided that I wanted.
Don’t do what other people tell you that you should do especially if you’re stuck. Being open to choices is a good thing when you have absolutely no idea what you want to do. The difference is, I was doing something that I wanted to do since sophomore year of high school, I was just exhausted. I couldn’t distinguish what I actually enjoy doing from things that I don’t like because I had the same feeling of unhappiness and stress from everything I was doing.
My mom likes to say “Follow your feet.” They’re pointing where you want to go you just haven’t started walking yet.
Feeling stuck can mean many different things. It could be a result from burnout, struggling with identity, or struggling with mental health, or stress.
When you feel stuck and feel out of touch with yourself, you should take a break. As much as it seems like you can’t have a break or that you don’t have time, your mental and physical health will suffer if you don’t. Just search burnout symptoms and you’ll see how bad that can be.
Connect back to your passions. If you really loved to draw, no matter how bad you think you are — you should do that. If you really loved to be in nature, running or swimming, do that. If you love to travel, but can’t find enough time to get away, you can still change your scenery while staying close or budget friendly. More responsibilities mean less time for your hobbies or interests and eventually, if you’re anything like me, you’ve lost all sense of “what do I like?” Do what you know you used to like, chances are, you still do — you just haven’t done them in a while.
Connect to your inner child. Our worries were never as important as they seemed —with more riding on our actions, it’s hard to not think about every ripple effect one thing could do. Stop for a minute and remind yourself that you thought the same thing when you were picking out which colored pencil you wanted to use.
Make a change. Nothing will happen if you just sit and wait. My favorite quote for this is “don’t regret the things you can change” (I don’t remember who wrote it). If you’re falling asleep dreaming about a perfect life, your career, your friends, where you live, what you look like, what you do, you have to realize “If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done” (Also don’t know who wrote this one).
The key points:
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Listen to yourself
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Take a break, it is most definitely okay to give yourself time to rest
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Reevaluate your happiness/mental state
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Find your source(s) of happiness
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Don’t over-evaluate your decisions
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Make a change
I hope you find yourself again.