Feeling stuck over a big decision? These 5 steps may help

ATLANTA - There are many ways we get stuck with big decisions that are hard to make.

Should we walk away from a comfortable job for one that might be more exciting?

Should we take a risk on a new relationship?

Is it time to buy a house rather than keep paying rent?

License professional counselor Natolie Gray says it is common to feel frozen or stuck when facing a major life decision.

"Getting unstuck, though, is doable," Gray says. "It’s something that you can move through."

Gray says there are five steps that may help you get unstuck.

Step No. 1, she says, is to start moving.

Physical movement can help you break out of a rut.

"Saying, ‘Okay, I’m going to move five steps this way or two steps this way," Gray says. "It sends a signal to the brain, ‘Oh, I’m really actually able to move.’"

Next up, step No. 2 is to write down your options.

"Now, the mind will tell you, you’ve done it all, you’ve though it all, you’ve tried it all," Gray says. "But, if you sit down right now, and say, ‘Okay, here’s what I did, but here’s what I hadn’t tried yet, it can get you unstuck, because now the brain says, ‘Oh, wait a minute, there are other possibilities that I didn’t explore.’"

Once you have an idea of what you want to do, that brings us to step No. 3, which is to think about what support you need to follow through with your decision.

You may need financial resources, personal support, or time to carry out your plan, Gray says.

That brings us to step No. 4, which is to talk through your options with someone you trust.

"You know, those moments where you sit with someone, and you start talking, and you answer your own question," Gray says. "I do that often. I’m answering my own question because I’m allowing myself to process verbally to hear my own thoughts aloud."

The final step for getting unstuck, Gray says, may be the most important of all. Step No. 5 is to change how you think about feeling stuck.

"Reframing that word (stuck), to where ‘I’m at a point where I am looking to make a decision, and I’m not quite sure yet what I’ll do,’" Gray says. "That change of words can actually change your mindset about it, so you don’t just feel like I’m in quicksand, or I’m stuck, or I can’t move."