Turn Stuck into Clarity: The Power of Boundaries,

Last week when I attended SomethingQ, Robyn Littlewood, CEO of Health and Wellbeing Queensland said something that I can’t stop thinking about.

She said, “40 per cent of Queenslanders feel stuck and only one in two think they can do something about it”.

It’s Women’s Health Week this week (4-8 September) and I reckon one of the most important things we can do for our health is set, communicate and maintain healthy boundaries.

Having healthy boundaries can play a significant role in helping you get unstuck – and when we feel stuck, it’s often because we don’t have healthy boundaries in place.

Healthy boundaries provide you with a framework for self-care, personal growth, and self-confidence that enables you to navigate challenges and make positive changes.

In other words, having healthy boundaries, especially around your work, your relationships and what you spend your time on, can help you get unstuck. Learn to say "no" when necessary and protect your time and well-being. Boundaries can help you regain control over your life and reduce overwhelm.

How can you gain clarity and set boundaries when you feel stuck?

Try these four activities:

1. A few ways I do this are to go for a walk, spend time in nature and hang out in my favourite café with a coffee and a notebook. A few questions you could ask yourself are:

A few ways I do this are to go for a walk, spend time in nature and hang out in my favourite café with a coffee and a notebook. A few questions you could ask yourself are:

• Why do I feel stuck?

• What does success look like to me?

• What changes do I want to see in my life?

• What small steps can I take to move forward?

2. Set some clear goals

Having a sense of purpose and direction can be motivating and help you overcome feelings of being stuck. Break your goals down into smaller, actionable steps to make them more manageable. You might want to set a goal (or goals) around work, health, money, family or a hobby.

I’ve previously had goals around:

• Buying a house

• Learning to play golf (that one didn’t last long – one term of lessons helped me realise it wasn’t for me!)

• Writing a book

3. Prioritise self-care

The times I’m most likely to feel stuck are when I’m not prioritising my self-care. I’m eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sleep, not getting to the beach, exercising, or spending time with people who lift me up.

When we prioritise self-care, we are reducing stress and gaining the energy and resilience to overcome challenges.

4. Look at what you need to do to focus on your priorities, achieve your goals and prioritise self-care. What boundaries do you need to set? If you’re looking for suggestions, can you:

• Block out time in your calendar to regularly reflect on what’s important to you? And to review where / why you might be feeling stuck.

• Spend less time randomly scrolling through Instagram and TikTok and more time talking to the people who make you feel good about yourself?

• Take time out every day to have a lunch break – and get away from your desk

• Take some time to declutter your desk / office / home (which will help reduce stress and enhance productivity).  

How are you feeling? Are you stuck? And if you are, what steps are you going to take to get unstuck?