Feeling stuck? How the Brain Keeps You There-and How to Get Unstuck
From Messages From the Middle | Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Late Diagnosed ADHD, Undiagnosed Trauma, Neurodivergence, PTSD, Complicated Grief, by Wendy Parrish
February 6, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 95
About this episode
This episode explores the experience of feeling stuck in mental health and offers insights on how to regain agency and make meaningful changes.
Feeling stuck is one of the most common experiences in mental health—and one of the hardest to explain. In this episode, we explore what it really means to feel stuck, numb, or frozen, and why those feelings often show up when our nervous system is overwhelmed. Through the lens of the motivational triad—our brain’s drive to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy—we unpack how staying stuck can actually be a form of protection, even when it’s costing us peace, connection, and growth. We also talk about power—where we give it away, how victim thinking can quietly keep us trapped, and why the idea that we can only change ourselves is actually very good news. This episode offers compassionate insight, practical reframes, and gentle encouragement to take your power back, set boundaries, and make small, meaningful shifts that help you move forward. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by relationships, the state of the world, or your own inner landscape, this conversation is an invitation to step out of stuck and into agency—one choice at a time.
People in this episode
Host: Wendy Parrish
Topics covered
- mental health
- feeling stuck
- nervous system
- motivation
- personal growth
- boundaries
- agency
Keywords
- stuck
- numb
- frozen
- protection
- victim thinking
- power
- boundaries
- mental health
More episodes of Messages From the Middle | Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Late Diagnosed ADHD, Undiagnosed Trauma, Neurodivergence, PTSD, Complicated Grief,
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- Clean Pain Vs. Dirty Pain: The Stories That Keep Us Stuck · April 17, 2026 · 17 min
- Grief and Unexpected Losss · April 3, 2026 · 13 min
- ADHD BBurnout: From Hyperfocus To Shutdown · March 20, 2026 · 19 min
- From Breaking to Healing: Four Years Later · March 13, 2026 · 22 min
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