Finding My Way Out: Navigating the Feeling Being Trapped

 

I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling trapped—mentally, emotionally, and even physically. For years, I’ve tried to bury those feelings and avoid the problems that were causing them. It’s almost like I thought if I ignored the problem long enough, it would magically go away. But what I found is that by doing this, the problems always come back, and when they resurface, they feel even more overwhelming because I haven’t solved them. It’s a vicious cycle, and over time, it has left me feeling stuck, frustrated, and helpless.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on why I do this and how I can break free. I realize now that avoiding problems doesn’t make them disappear—it just traps them inside me, waiting to resurface when I least expect it. I’ve learned that I can’t keep living like this. I have to face my feelings and deal with the problems, even when they’re uncomfortable.

The first step is to acknowledge that I feel trapped. This might sound simple, but it’s one of the hardest things to do. When you’re overwhelmed by emotions or problems, it’s easy to try to push them away or tell yourself that it’s not that bad. But I’ve come to understand that avoiding my feelings only makes them grow stronger in the background.

Now, instead of burying my emotions, I’m learning to acknowledge them. If I feel trapped, anxious, or overwhelmed, I allow myself to feel those things without judgment. It’s not easy, and it doesn’t solve the problem right away, but it creates space for me to understand what’s going on inside me.

As I started acknowledging my feelings, I also began to ask myself, “What is making me feel this way?” This question has been crucial for me because feeling trapped isn’t always about the obvious things in front of me. Sometimes, it’s a deeper issue—a fear, a past experience, or an expectation I’ve placed on myself without even realizing it.

For example, when I feel trapped in a messy house, it’s not just about the clutter. It’s about my perfectionism and the pressure I put on myself to have everything in order all the time. Once I was able to identify that deeper issue, I realized I wasn’t just dealing with a physical mess—I was dealing with my need for control.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that I can’t solve everything at once. I used to get overwhelmed by the thought of having to fix every problem in my life, and that overwhelming feeling made me want to run away from everything. But I’ve started to realize that I don’t have to fix everything immediately. I can break my problems into smaller, manageable steps and tackle one thing at a time.

For instance, instead of cleaning my entire house when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I start by focusing on one small area—maybe a single countertop or just picking up a few items. These small steps might seem insignificant, but they create momentum. And that momentum makes it easier to keep going, even when I feel like giving up.

It’s easy for me to get lost in anxious thoughts when I feel trapped, but learning to be mindful helps me stay grounded in the present moment. By focusing on my breath, my surroundings, or even just the sensation of my feet on the floor, I can pull myself out of the spiral of anxiety.

Mindfulness doesn’t solve my problems, but it helps me create the mental space I need to think clearly and calmly. It’s a practice that I’m still working on, but even a few minutes a day has made a big difference in how I handle overwhelming situations.

For someone like me, who has OCD tendencies, perfectionism is a huge part of why I feel trapped. I have this need for everything to be perfect, and when it’s not, I feel like I’m failing. But recently, I’ve started to learn that perfection isn’t the goal—progress is.

Letting go of the need to do everything perfectly has been hard, but I’m learning that it’s okay if things don’t go exactly as planned. Life is messy, and that’s okay. What matters is that I’m moving forward, even if it’s in small, imperfect steps.

One of the most important parts of this journey is to be kind to myself. I’ve always been my own worst critic, and when I feel trapped, I tend to judge myself harshly for not being able to “fix” everything. But I’m starting to realize that this kind of self-judgment only makes things worse.

Instead, I’m trying to practice self-compassion. When I feel trapped or overwhelmed, I remind myself that it’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to take small steps. It’s okay to not have all the answers right now. Being kind to myself doesn’t mean I’m giving up—it means I’m giving myself the grace to keep going.

My journey is far from over, and I still have moments where I feel trapped. But I’m learning that I don’t have to stay stuck. By facing my feelings head-on, breaking problems into small steps, and practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, I can start to break free from the mental traps I’ve built for myself.

It’s not always easy, and sometimes I still feel like burying my emotions. But now I know that avoiding them won’t help. The only way out is through, and I’m committed to facing whatever comes my way, one small step at a time.

 

This journey is all about progress, not perfection, and I’m learning to embrace that. If you’ve ever felt trapped or overwhelmed, I hope this story helps you see that you’re not alone and that there’s always a way forward, even if it’s just one step at a time.