Artwork: Feeling Alive, by Atousa Raissyan
There's one simple thing you can do to get unstuck, boost your flow and end the slug cycle; move your butt!
Over the years I've used movement in all forms to unstick me when I'm stuck, uninspired or otherwise feeling like a big slug. When the feeling is heavy, laden with inner critic voices and tilts me toward the cookie jar or wine bottle, I know I'm headed toward Def-Con 4. There's only one thing that gets me out of this rut and that's moving my ass.
The problem is when you get to this stage you want to do everything but move. You rather nap actually. In fact some sort of centrifugal force pulls you toward the couch. It's tough to overcome that inertia, but you must. You must take action to avoid getting pulled into the pit of woe and getting stuck in the quicksand at the bottom.
How do you move when moving isn't on the agenda? Do it despite the agenda, despite the voices, despite the huge cushions sucking you in. You get your shoes on while you listen to the voices. You get those running pants on while your critic tries to talk you out of it. You move and breathe and paint while you listen. You listen and you feel, and you move anyway.
The way you overcome the slug inertia is by overpowering the voices with your action. You got this. The battle you fight is in your mind. Slow down, get still, take a few breaths, shut the tapes off and zip up your jacket and GO!
The beauty of all this's when you get it to work, and you realize as soon as you connect with your body through movement (and it can be any kind by the way) you're out of your head and there's a very literal blood flow that starts to wake you up and make you tingle. That physical flow creates yummy good-for-you chemicals that help your mood. And voila, you're feeling much less like a slug.
Move your butt. Dance, sing, breathe, walk, write, paint, run, Zumba, stretch, slide, tango, clean out your closet, I don't care...just wiggle for goodness sake. Shake it out, off and hard. And do it often. No rules, just move. Get your heart pumping, your blood flowing and your lungs breathing. Take some kind of action.
When should I get still, meditate, and feel what's there? Every time. When should I move my body and scream, shout, jump, run and dance? Every time. There are no rules people. When you're stuck in your head and you've locked yourself up in that box, be creative. There's no right answer. There's only what YOU need to do to move the energy.
Sometimes we need the action of silence and stillness to help us move through something. Sometimes we need the adrenaline-creating action of big body motion to help us. Listen to what your intuition is telling you about this. Unclear on the answer? Then try both! If one way isn't working, try the other. You can't get this wrong.
The only way you'll continue to suffer is by letting the voices in your head keep you trapped in the vicious cycle of doubt, fear, shame or unworthiness...all extremely slug-inducing. Don't accept it. Don't buy it. Wake up and choose a healthier way to act. It's up to you.
One of the best ways to act and move is to call a friend and make a date to do it together. Letting someone else hold you accountable for action is a great technique. Connection and support are necessary. If you're doing this all by yourself, know you don't have to. Don't have a tribe to connect to? Find one. Get creative. There's something you haven't thought of yet.
Follow these quick, easy steps to changing the energy of Slug to Inspired:
1. Recognize the voices in your head that have you trapped. Awareness is the very first step to getting unstuck.
2. Root yourself in the present moment around you, all the sights, sounds, and sensations of your current environment. Be in your body and breathe. Body awareness is what will help you shut down the voices.
3. Pick some kind of action step and GO! This can be big body movement, like a walk, run or dancing, or it can be a more quiet, still version of action like meditation, breathing or journaling. Pick something and start.
4. Go back to step one. As you notice the voices trying to talk you out of your action, move gently back to step one and be persistent as you move through the first three steps again.
5. Call a friend and make a date for connection and action.
Join me in the comments and offer up some other ways you've moved through the slug inertia. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!