7. The Real Reason You Feel Stuck (It’s Not What You Think!)

Feeling stuck in life? The real reason might not be what you think.

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If you’ve been feeling stuck, overthinking everything, procrastinating, or questioning your purpose, this episode of the Pretty Deep Podcast will help you understand why. This video explores the deeper reason women feel stuck in seasons of change and reveals how true clarity doesn’t come from trying harder, but from reconnecting with God. 

Through personal experience, biblical insight, and practical encouragement, you’ll discover how to stop relying on your own understanding and start walking in clarity, peace, and direction with God.
 
Question - Where in your life do you feel most stuck right now?

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 — You’ve grown… so why do you still feel stuck?
 00:20 — What “feeling stuck” really looks like
 01:41 — Why this season feels so confusing
 03:01 — The mistake most women are making
 05:17 — You’re not stuck for the reason you think
 08:25 — Where clarity actually comes from
 15:31 — The one simple shift that changes everything

Watch This Next: Why You Don’t Feel Confident Anymore - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyY8LEDEFHc

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• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/pretty-deep/id1836719506

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#FeelingStuck #ChristianGrowth #FindingPurpose #FaithOverFear #Clarity

About:
 Welcome to Pretty Deep Podcast! We create honest conversations about faith, identity, and navigating life’s deeper seasons as a woman. New episodes every week.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and inspirational purposes only and reflects personal experiences and beliefs. Some links may be affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you choose to purchase through them.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You've done the work. You've grown. You see things differently now. So, why do you still feel stuck? Why are you still overthinking, procrastinating, second guessing yourself, and quietly wondering what am I to do next? Sometimes the reason you feel stuck isn't because you're lazy or unmotivated or even incapable. It's because you're trying to get clarity on your own. When clarity was never meant to come that way. Hi, I'm Petrina, and this is the Pretty Deep podcast, where we talk about the real struggles that women carry in seasons of change and the misunderstandings about God that often sit quietly underneath them. Because so often what looks like confusion is actually disconnection. And what feels like lack of direction is often a life being lived without fully accessing the wisdom and presence and guidance of God. So, in this episode, we're going to talk about why so many women feel stuck in this season of life and what's really happening underneath the procrastination, frustration, overthinking. We'll also talk about the quiet lie that keeps us trying to figure life out by ourselves and how clarity actually comes. It doesn't come from stressing or striving or endlessly analyzing. It comes from walking closely with God. So stay with me to the end because I want to leave you with one simple shift you can start making straight away, even if you've been feeling confused, frustrated, and unsure about what to do next. I think what makes this season of life so confusing is that on paper, things don't look bad. You've grown, you're wiser, you've had life experience, and yet internally something feels off. You find yourself procrastinating on things that matter, overthinking decisions that should be simple, starting things and then stopping halfway through. There's no real conviction, no real clarity. And underneath all of that, there's this quiet frustration. Like, I thought I'd be further along by now. But here I am, still second-guessing myself, still unsure, still trying to figure out what I'm actually meant to do next. And for a lot of women, this comes in a season where things are already shifting. Your roles in life are changing, your career might be changing, your body is definitely changing. And you start asking questions that you never used to ask. Is this all there is? What do I do next? How do I make my life count from here? And that feeling, you know, that combination of confusion, frustration, disappointment, fear, that's what we often call feeling stuck. Now, when we feel like this, our natural instinct is to try and fix it. We start thinking, maybe I just need to be more disciplined. Maybe I need a better plan. Maybe I need to figure myself out more. So we analyze, we journal, we overthink, we talk to friends, we take personality tests, we try to map out our next step. And listen, none of those things are bad. But here's the problem: you can do all of that and still feel completely unclear. Because the issue isn't that you haven't tried hard enough to figure it out, the issue is how you are approaching it. Most of us are trying to make decisions about our life using only our own perspective or the perspective of people around us. And the truth is, as much as we might know ourselves and as much as other people might care about us, that perspective, it's still limited. No one knows you like God does. No one sees the full picture of your life, your past, your future, and your purpose like God does. And no one wants good for you the way he does. But instead of going to him, we try to figure it out on our own. We go in circles, we overthink, we replay the same decisions again and again. And you know what? We call that being wise and being responsible when actually all it's doing is keeping us stuck. And underneath that, there's often a belief that we don't even realize that we're carrying, that God is distant, that he's too busy, that he's really not interested in the details of our everyday lives, or that we are supposed to figure it all out ourselves and only go to him for the big things. Oh, don't bother him with little things that you can solve yourself. So we don't ask, we don't invite him in. We don't even consider that he wants to guide us in the middle of our ordinary everyday lives and our ordinary everyday decisions. And this is the shift I want you to hear. You're not stuck because you're incapable, and you're not stuck because you've missed your moment. You feel stuck because you're trying to do something on your own. Something that was never meant to be done without God. I felt this kind of stuck very deeply in my own life. In 2016, one of my close friends was diagnosed with cancer. And within two months, she passed away. It was sudden, it was shocking, and it completely shook me. At the same time, I had just come out of a season where I felt like I was doing something meaningful. For over 10 years, I'd been in a rhythm creating, working, building something that was satisfying and purposeful. And suddenly that season was over. That, plus the grief and the loss and the end of a chapter, and I found myself in this place of complete uncertainty. I didn't know what my next season was. I didn't know what I was meant to do. I didn't know if my life was going to amount to anything meaningful. And I remember feeling exactly what we've been talking about. Confused, despondent at times, overthinking, trying to figure things out, and asking questions like, what now? What am I meant to do next? Is my life still going to count? But the one thing that I did, and you know what I didn't even fully realize the significance of it at the time, is that I ran to God. I dug my heels in. I spent time reading my Bible and studying his word. And I spent hours talking to him, praying, reading, wrestling, and something began to shift. Not all at once, not in one big dramatic moment, but little by little. God started giving me clarity. He began unfolding things. Not just what I was meant to do next, but what purpose actually is, what it looks like, what it means. He taught me about his love. He taught me about forgiveness. He taught me how he sees me. And as that relationship deepened, something else began to change. What's so interesting is this. The clarity didn't come from me sitting down and trying to figure out my own life. It came through relationship. It came through time with him. It came through knowing him and through walking with him. And what started as a season of grief and confusion became one of the most beautiful, purposeful seasons of my life. And even now, anytime I feel that sense of being lost or unsure or frustrated, I go back to the same place. Not to a plan, not to a strategy, but to him. So let's talk about what actually changes things. Because if the problem is not a lack of effort, but a lack of connection, then clarity is not going to come from trying harder. It's going to come from walking more closely with God. And here's what I've seen over and over again in my own life. Clarity doesn't come all at once, it comes through relationship. It starts like this you go to God even when you don't feel clear. You open his word even when you don't know what you're looking for. You begin talking to him honestly, simply, and as you are. And something begins to happen. As you read scripture, you start to see who God actually is. You see his character, his nature, his kindness, his patience. You see his mercy and his faithfulness. The Bible says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God in Romans 10, 17. And that's exactly what happens. Your faith begins to grow. Not because you're trying to believe harder, but because you're seeing God more clearly. And as you begin to see him more clearly, you begin to trust him. And as you begin to trust him, you begin to talk to him more. And that relationship, you know, that back and forth, that's where clarity starts to come. And it doesn't come as a full life plan, it comes as the next step. Because you know what? Contrary to popular belief, God is not vague, He is so relational. In John 10, verse 27, Jesus actually said, My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. That means you're not meant to figure out your life alone. You are meant to walk it out with God. And as you walk with him, things shift inside of you. Your mind begins to change. The Bible says in Romans 12, 2 that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. And that's actually what happens. You begin to think differently, you begin to see differently. You begin to desire different things. You become, in a sense, like-minded with God. Not because you're trying to force it, but because you're spending time with him. And when that happens, the overthinking quietens down. The hesitation begins to loosen. And the fear, it loses its grip. Because you're no longer trying to control everything by yourself. You are walking with the one who already knows. And this is such a beautiful shift. Because suddenly you're not asking, What am I meant to do with my whole life? Instead, you're asking, God, what's my next step? And believe it or not, He is so willing to guide you. The Bible says, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. In Jeremiah 29, verse 13. And I just want to say this clearly: God is not distant from your life. He is not too busy for your decisions. He is not uninterested in the details. He cares so very deeply. He wants to be part of your everyday life, your conversations, your decisions, your questions, your uncertainty. And when you start living like that, clarity doesn't feel far away anymore. I want to say something else here, gently but honestly. A lot of us think we are being wise by trying to figure everything out on our own. We call it being responsible and thoughtful and proactive. But if you're constantly overthinking, constantly analyzing, constantly going around in circles, and you're not actually going to God for direction, that's not wisdom. That's self-reliance. And self-reliance will always keep you stuck because you're trying to carry something that you were never meant to carry by yourself. You don't have access to the full picture of your life. You don't know what's ahead. You don't know what doors are opening or closing and why all of that's happening. But God does. In Psalm 139, in verses 1 to 3, it says, Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and you are acquainted with all of my ways. And yet, instead of going to him first, we go everywhere else. We go to experts, we go to friends, we go to Google or Chat GPT. And again, those things have their place, but they are not your source. If you want clarity for your life, go to the one who designed your life. Do you ever buy something complex and then completely ignore the manual written by the person who created it? You don't. So why do we do that with our lives? God is your creator. He knows you fully. He knows your purpose. He knows your future. And in James chapter 1, verse 5 in the Bible, it says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach. So if you're waiting for clarity, but you're not actively seeking God, you're missing the greatest source of wisdom available to you. And I say that with so much love. Because this is not about guilt, it's about invitation. You don't have to figure your life out alone. So if you're feeling stuck right now, hear this clearly. You are not stuck, actually. You are trying to do something on your own that God never asked you to figure out by yourself. Just stop and turn to Him. Because here's the truth: we all know that purpose matters. That knowing what we're meant to do with our lives is a really big deal. But somehow we start believing that we should just know about it, that it should just come to us overnight or instinctively. And if it doesn't, we think that there's something wrong with us. Or we go looking for someone else to tell us. You know, a coach, a framework, another opinion. But most of us are not actually willing to invest the time and the attention that it takes into building a relationship with the one who already knows. The one who created you, the one who knows your life from beginning to end. The one who has a good plan for you. So here's the one thing I want to give you. If you want clarity, start here. Open your Bible, read a few verses. But please don't read them looking for answers about your life. Read them and ask yourself, what does this show me about who God is? What do I learn about his character? What is he like? Because the Bible is not just information, it's revelation. It reveals his nature, it reveals his goodness, it reveals his kindness and faithfulness and wisdom. And as you begin to see him clearly, something will change. You will fall in love with him. And when you love someone, you talk to them. That's where prayer becomes natural and not forced, not formal, just real conversation. And as that relationship grows, trust will grow. And as trust grows, clarity will come. Not because you figured everything out, but because you're walking with the one who already knows. So instead of trying to force clarity, build relationship instead. That's where things change. If this episode resonated with you, I would really love for you to tell me in the comments. Where in your life do you feel most stuck right now? And if you're new here, please follow or subscribe to the Pretty Deep podcast. Because when you do that, it helps others find it too. And if this idea of feeling stuck or unsure has been sitting with you for a while, I highly recommend you go and listen to last week's episode. It's called Why You Don't Feel Confident Anymore. Because your identity, your clarity, they are deeply connected. So let me say it again. You are not behind. You are not missing it. And you are not alone or done. The good work that God began in you, He will complete it. He promises that in His word. You just might be trying to walk this out without the one who already knows the way. I'll see you in the next episode. Much love.