More Thoughts: Feeling Stuck

I’ve been circling around what to say about this topic, distracting myself with Candy Crush and staring balefully out the window at the greige of the suburbs, but what it boils down to is this: I have to practice what I preach. If somebody else was feeling stuck, what would I say to them? How would I encourage, validate, and support them? What questions would I ask?

I really did mean it when I said it’s all craft; Not Doing The Thing still feeds into the process, ultimately, because you’re a whole person, and everything about you and what you do is a self-informing loop (I picture a classic murder board, which I love - get me a bulletin board and some red string and I’m extremely there). What really helps me to look back on my time and contextualize things is keeping a weekly rolling to-do list. Last week, most of the writing-related things weren’t checked off, but I completed an application I was really excited about (it was SO long, and I only had two days before the deadline!), and stayed ahead of schedule for podcasting. Those are things to be proud of! I’m proud of that!

Dedicated writing time where you sit down to make it happen is super valid, but so is leaving yourself open for inspiration to strike¹. Always carry a notebook with you! Or use a note app on your phone. Whatever allows you to jot down things in the moment (I use both).

On the left is the beginning of the running note on my phone that I pluck from every now and then; on the right is something I started trying to pin down while waiting for my mom to finish grocery shopping.

I don’t feel totally unstuck, but I do feel better. Considering complexity and nuance is one of my favourite things, so I understand that it’s a puzzle piece of the bigger picture that includes a major career change, seasonal effects on my mood, truly exhausting and routine hormonal fluctuations, and more. But we ebb! We flow! And we keep going.

Speaking of keeping going, I just want to say thanks to everyone who’s read and listened so far as I’ve been working on getting Well Intended! up and running. I mentioned it in the episode, but it’s been exceptionally lovely and motivating hearing from y’all, and I appreciate it so much.

If you like what I do and want to help, please consider making a monthly tip! It would support me in continuing to write, podcast, and work on community initiatives both local and online.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year! See you next week with a new podcast episode 🫡 💖

1. I don’t say “waiting” because I think using it when referring to inspiration has negative connotations, but there’s a good chance that’s more of an ADHD-related hang-up around perceived laziness. Woof.