Every day, a large number of Americans pause what they are doing and move their hands down from their furrowed brows towards their keyboards to type “I feel trapped in my life” in the hope of finding some sort of a resolution. These are every day Janes and Joes, those who seem perfectly normal (whatever that means) on the surface, putting on a show for friends, family, coworkers, and baristas. “Good, and you?” is how they respond when casually asked how they are doing, when in reality they are feeling suffocated as if living someone else’s life instead of the best version of theirs. They pause before opening the door to their home, readying themselves to face those in their very own household, wondering what the next interaction will bring. They struggle to settle thoughts of squandered potential long enough to fall asleep only to awake at 3 AM with pangs of anxiety. And when the alarm sounds at dawn, they grudgingly head off to the office where they’re certain a long list of eye-rolling messages await in an already overstuffed digital inbox. They make it through the day just fine, generally speaking. They may win a small battle at work, maybe even squeeze in a healthy workout before 6 o’clock news reminds them to temper feelings that maybe life isn’t so prosaic after all. And ultimately, the cycle repeats itself day in and day out, leaving nothing but a feeling of mundanity in its wake.
The people we’re describing here aren’t those who suffer from diagnosed anxiety, depression, or other mental or behavioral health disorder. The thousands (yes, thousands) of Americans searching for a way out of their self-described (and often self-imposed) trap each month often resign to what is. They go on to live relatively decent lives even though regret hangs overhead like a marine layer on what’s supposed to be a sunny day. But among this group, are those who are ready to take a stand. To paraphrase Dylan Thomas; they will not go gently into that good night. They are ready to rage against the dying of their internal light and escape the cage that holds them captive. And what’s really exciting, is that you’re among them. Your online search for what to do about feeling trapped has delivered you here, to us.
How Kindbridge Will Help Release You from the Things that Make You Feel Trapped in Your Life
I Feel Trapped in My Marriage / Relationship
When we stated that thousands of Americans each month enter “I feel trapped in my life” into their online search browsers, we weren’t being hyperbolic. Online search data from Google indicates that on average up to 1000 people per month, per U.S. state, use this specific phrase. Meanwhile, there are branches of what constitutes parts of one’s life that causes them to feel this way. Marriages and relationships are unsurprisingly a major component:
Source: Google Keyword Planner
How Therapy Will Help
While some people who feel trapped in their relationship desire to muster up the nerve to initiate dissolution (i.e. separation, divorce) a large number prefer to work things out, if only there were an effective way to do so. This may be a wise ambition given that Psychology Today reports that between one-third and 80% of divorced people regret their divorce.
As someone who feels trapped in their marriage or common law relationship (etc.) it’s important to recognize that many of the negative thoughts and emotions you are feeling may also be felt by your significant other. But due to communication breakdowns, the two of you are never able to find a calm and caring common ground. Instead, you or they (likely both) resort to the same old words (or silence) and behaviors that leave you in a perpetual mental and emotional prison. It’s time to stop trying to figure out the solution on your own, and find out if one can be found together with the help of a professional counselor. In some cases, counseling may uncover that the best course of action will be to part ways in a healthy amicable way. But in other cases, a therapist may help the two of you arrive at a more wondrous conclusion. You may find that you’re just around the corner from being a happy and dynamic duo that can actually strengthen one another through therapist guided tools and techniques. Don’t you want to find out if your supposed trap is actually an opportunity for greatness and growth?
Open up to your partner today and ask them to try out online couples counseling with Kindbridge. Invite them over to your digital screen right now, and tap below to get started:
I Feel Trapped in My Job
With equal fervor as with relationships and marriage, data finds that Americans pinpoint their job as being a major part of what makes them feel trapped in their lives, with state by state search volume running up to 1000 people per month.
How Therapy Will Help
We’re not about to tell an accountant that they should close the books and become the luthier they once dreamed of becoming. That’s between you and a prospective career counselor. However, we can tell you that therapy will greatly improve your mindset which is the set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and your place within it. Your mindset influences how you think, feel, and behave in your work environment. When optimized it can make you more productive and better able to manage challenges and obstacles in a level-headed and strategic manner. A healthy mindset will prepare you to work more cohesively with teammates, higher-level executives, and even troublesome customers/clients (as applicable). You may discover that you enjoy and thrive in your current profession after all. Or, as with relationship counseling addressed above, you may find that if despite an improved mindset that you still feel confined by your vocation, that it is indeed time for a switch. Counseling will help you discover your inner-self which can lead to the discovery of a career prospect in something that you’re actually passionate about. Let’s find out. Click below to book a virtual counseling session with a Kindbridge care coordinator.
I Feel Trapped by My Own Behaviors
Here’s the thing about feeling trapped; it’s accompanied by an onerous weight that drags you down. To escape the sinking feeling you may choose to distract yourself in some activity. You may even plan your day around it, counting the hours until you can log in or visit an establishment that will provide temporary relief. Sometimes activities are positive outlets for your negative feelings, such as meditation, exercise in healthy moderation, and immersion in the arts (painting, sculpting, music, etc.). In other less fortunate cases, activities are not positive outlets but dangerous coping mechanisms that can tighten the proverbial vice that already surrounds you.
A prime example of an unhealthy coping mechanism is online consumption of pornography. If you use porn to push away your bleak feeling of being trapped (as opposed to using it for natural autoerotic stimulation) then you enter into problematic territory. Other potential coping vices may include casino gaming and sports betting or gaming. Over time, using such activities to cope can lead to habitual and eventually compulsive behavior. From there, the signs and symptoms of problem gambling, gaming, and porn use pile on to the feeling of being imprisoned in your own existence.
How Therapy Will Help
Kindbridge has handpicked a team of therapists who specialize in unhealthy coping mechanisms that can lead to compulsive behavior. If you begin to see signs of a problem with activities such as gambling, gaming, and watching porn, an issue specific counselor will be at your side to free you from their tightening grip. Further, they will arm you with healthier ways to cope with the feelings that drew you to destructive outlets in the first place.
Or, Maybe There is an Underlying Concern
In the introduction we stated that thousands of Americans (yourself included) can feel trapped in their lives without exhibiting mental health issues such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), depression, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, and more. However, in some circumstances there may be an underlying issue that requires further introspection and intervention from a trained professional. This will be uncovered or dismissed in your initial assessment. Whatever may or may not be discovered will clear the path for a powerful and effective counseling strategy that will free your mind, body, and soul to fulfill its collective potential in all aspects of life. Let’s give it a shot.
Find Your Freedom, Through Kindbridge
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