When You Want Big Things But Feel Stuck in Survival Mode
Everyday life can feel really hard. You’re trying to get through work, errands, family responsibilities, or just managing your own mental load, and yet, you promised yourself you’d do more. You’d accomplish something meaningful. You’d live a life that felt bigger than a series of survival tasks.
When days, weeks, or months go by and you realize that the focus has just been on surviving and making it through the day, it’s frustrating. You might feel impatient with yourself, ashamed that you aren’t “further along,” or even angry that you can’t seem to do it all. That tension between “I want big things” and “I can barely make it through today” can create a gnawing sense of failure. You might ask yourself: Why can’t I push harder? Why am I stuck here? What’s wrong with me? These questions are heavy, and they’re often directed inward in ways that only add to the stress and shame.
Wanting more is okay. Feeling stuck is okay. Feeling frustrated at yourself is okay…BUT it’s also a signal. It tells you something about your priorities, your values, and the life you truly want to live.
Therapy can help you:
Recognize and validate the resilience it takes just to get through each day.
Learn to direct frustration in ways that motivate, rather than punish, yourself.
Identify patterns or strategies that aren’t serving you and consider pivoting and making intentional changes instead of staying stuck in approaches that drain your energy.
Break overwhelming goals into steps that feel manageable without diminishing your ambition.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You only need to start where you are, with curiosity, patience, and sometimes, a bit of tough self-compassion. You can honor the struggle and still aim for big things, one honest step at a time.
