when you feel out of options
You’ve wracked your brains and cannot seem to come up with any new ideas to solve the problem. You feel restless yet exhausted. You just don't know what to do with yourself.
You’ve hit a dead end. You’re out of options.
Solving the problem holds the utmost importance and you’re really doing your best. As your mind spirals round and round, doubt takes hold. You wonder. Maybe you said the wrong thing. It would have been better if you had said something else. Or, maybe the action you took was the wrong one. Your mind shifts from self-blame to blaming others. They should have said or done this, not that!
We’ve all found ourselves in the predicament of feeling trapped like a wild animal in a cage, like we’re out of options.
When we feel we’re out of options, we tend to do things that are a reaction to this panic of feeling trapped. We tend not to make wise choices with a mind that’s rampantly cycling round and round. We need to calm it down. A calmer mind opens to greater possibilities. And sometimes, we even see that the best course of action is to do nothing!
Notice what’s going on inside you.
Your Mind.
Racy thoughts of what you’ve done wrong and what others have done wrong. Often, when we are upset, the ‘wrongs’ are magnified. This practice helps you sift through what truly needs addressing and eliminates the excess. Your mind will become calmer and better able to open to options and greater possibilities. You will move forward wisely.
Try this:
Fold a piece of paper in half.
On the left, make a simple list of what you perceive you’ve done wrong. Circle any that truly seem like errors. Do you need to make changes or an apology?
On the right, make a simple list of what you perceive others may have done wrong. Circle any that truly seem to require further processing, discussion, or forgiveness.
Close your eyes and take three long deep breaths, exhaling completely.
Look at your list again and decide what can be eliminated and what truly is important.
Close your eyes and take three long deep breaths, exhaling completely.
If there are important topics to be addressed, prioritize them. Make a plan of action.
Close your eyes and take three long deep breaths, exhaling completely.
Remind yourself that there are always options. Remind yourself that you are confident and able to make choices from a calm mind. Remind yourself that you are okay.
Close your eyes and take three long deep breaths, exhaling completely.
“When you’ve exhausted all possibilities, remember this:
You haven’t.”
Thomas Edison
Wishing you healing & greater moments of joy.