Nothing Changes In Your Life? The Stages Of Emotional Stagnation
Emotional stagnation is not a state that just happens. We are the ones who take care of opening the door for you and, without any hindrance, we give you authorization to stay. There are circumstances, moments, and experiences that help nurture it. And none of us are safe from suffering it.
The problem is that we often refuse to admit it and remain stuck without weighing the consequences. People move away from us, opportunities escape us like sand between our fingers, joy evaporates and we become gloomy beings. We lose the horizon, we lose the essence of life.
Motivation disappears. What we used to like now seems ridiculous and meaningless. We prefer to be alone. We close our hearts and decide to isolate ourselves so as not to disturb or be disturbed. And without meaning to, we end up buried alive. Here are some stages of emotional stagnation and how to avoid falling into it.
Routine, number one ally of emotional stagnation
In a routine state , the days differ little. We take the same steps, we say the same words, we speak to the same people. We are so used to it that, although we do not realize it, we are a constant repetition. Worst of all, we don’t want to get out of emotional stagnation no matter how bad we feel.
If we live as a couple, things are not so different. There comes a time when the other, even if he has been with us for years, becomes a stranger. We no longer even notice, or don’t care, if there is any change in his personality. We do not share life thoroughly, with all the meaning that this implies. It is, neither more nor less, a custom.
The routine is capable of ending the will to live. Nor is it a question of throwing away everything that has been built. But you have to give a chance to surprises , discover that new world that can be found on the block every day. Varying your way to work (or any activity) is a good start.
The rest will follow. If you start to be surprised again with the little things, you will realize that you do not need excuses to smile again. Just being willing to change and ending the dreadful routine will bring new opportunities and help you grow.
Caught in the comfort zone
One of the most harmful things is not wanting to leave the comfort zone, that apparent ideal state that meets our needs. However, it is nothing more than a deception, an illusion that prevents us from moving forward. For example, we do not feel identified with the work we do, but we remain in it for fear of being unemployed.
There are possibilities of starting over, of an opportunity in another city or country. Despite the prospect, we discard it and prefer to stay in our usual place. It means, in other words, not taking risks even if it means keeping ourselves in emotional stagnation, and all to preserve a security in the form of a mirage.
Beyond having clear goals, it is essential to recognize that personal growth involves moving from one place to another. Be also willing to change and understand that new experiences enrich. Little by little we will find that balance that will allow us to take on the challenges no matter how complex they may be.
In this way we can cope with the anguish that difficult times bring. By not depending on our comfort zone, we have the ability to get up from falls. By the way, we abandon that stillness that, even if we don’t feel it, cancels us and makes us smaller.
Apathy, demotivation, sadness
We lose enthusiasm, nothing motivates us and we even let others decide for us. Joy is not an option. Now we remain absent and with a shadow of sadness in our eyes. We eat, breathe, sleep, move more as a reflex action than on our own initiative. We do not see the colors that draw the world.
Our emotions are at the lowest level of sensitivity. Nothing and nobody moves us and we see life go by as if it were that train that we did not arrive on on time, that left and left us at the station. And if at that moment the opportunities come, we do not have the capacity to take advantage of them. Then again the train leaves; we can do nothing now.
Life begins to go faster and faster, although we know that only we are capable of getting out of this emotional stagnation. Recovering the capacity for wonder is key, as well as dreaming again. It would be a great success if we looked for and brought to our present that child that we all carry inside. Time to let it out.
Fantasy does not have to conflict with reality. People who do not abandon their dreams are capable of doing unimaginable things. It all starts with opening the doors to the imagination and believing that anything is possible. The game, in the midst of the rigidity of a monotonous life, is a tool to recover the illusion, creativity and laughter.
Images courtesy of Sean Gadoury
