By Christi Hegstad | President, MAP Professional Development

An interesting phenomenon tends to creep in for many of us this time of year. The fresh-start excitement of the new year has worn off, the energy boost that can accompany spring has yet to arrive, and we may find ourselves experiencing the dreaded S-word:

Stuck.

“Stuck” shows up in many forms — encountering an unexpected barrier, reaching a crossroads and not knowing which path to take, or noticing a general dip in energy, for example. However your version of “stuck” makes itself known, one of the following strategies may help.

1. Create a breakthrough map. Take your “stuck point,” turn it into a question, then write it at the center of a large piece of paper. If you strive to grow your audience and aren’t getting anywhere, for example, you might write, “How can I double my email subscriber list?” If you experience a more general sense of stuck-ness, you might put an exciting dream or bucket list item in the center of your page, or even the question, “How can I get unstuck?”

Then, challenge yourself to jot down at least 25 possible action steps, resources or ideas that come to mind, no matter how outlandish or seemingly impossible. From there, you can begin to craft your action plan, or jump into No. 2 below.

2. Take action. In their excellent book, “The Confidence Code,” Katty Kay and Claire Shipman discuss the drawbacks of overthinking and state, “Confidence is linked to doing.” Choose one of the actions from your breakthrough map and give it a go, taking advantage of the momentum and confidence you will likely build along the way.

3. Audit your activities. In addition to fresh new actions, getting unstuck may require you to let go of some of what weighs you down. List where you currently spend your time, then assess your energy around each activity; a simple 1 to 10 internal scale can suffice. Strive to outsource, minimize or redesign particularly draining items.

A few years ago, my theme for the year was “Light.” Throughout that year, anytime something felt heavy, I got in the habit of asking myself, “What would make this light?” You can ask yourself a similar question, such as, “In this moment, what will help me feel unstuck?”

At times you may have a profound burst of clarity; other times the answer may be as simple as “Take a five-minute walk around the building” or “Drink a glass of water.” Either way, you’ll begin to shake loose that which keeps you stuck, allowing you to start moving forward once again with meaning and purpose.

Christi Hegstad, Ph.D., PCC, is a certified executive and personal coach for difference-making achievers. Receive your free “Big Dreams, Bold Goals!” workbook at ChristiHegstad.com and connect with Christi on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook at @ChristiHegstad.