Stuck in a Moment

Photo by Bruno Figueiredo on Unsplash

U2 has a song called “Stuck in a Moment”. It’s a pretty great song (this version and this version, too). I’d say it’s a top 3 U2 song. But I’m writing this because I’ve long thought that the line, “Don’t say that later will be better/Now you’re stuck in a moment/And you can’t get out of it,” was a great description of a variety of mental health issues. I know I’ve been stuck in a moment. It’s one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever experienced. You can see the rest of the world moving along, but you’re stuck. The whole vibe of the song actually captures the feeling really well.

Of course, as I’ve said many times, mental health isn’t one thing. This week, “Stuck in a Moment” has been running through my head on loop, but for a different reason. I find I’m trying to stick myself. That may not be the healthiest thing to do but let me explain. Since Sunday night, every time I start to think ahead at all, my anxiety is spiking, and I start spiraling. A thousand worst-case-scenarios come at me faster than I can reason my way out of them. So, I’m trying to avoid thoughts of the future. The healthy way to say it is I’m trying to live in the present. I’m not that healthy right now, though, so I’m trying to stick in the moment.

It’s remarkably hard. I’m an adult with work and a kid and school and such. I’ve never been a big planner. I prefer winging it whenever possible, but planning is an integral part of my life. Unfortunately, planning means thinking about the future and that doesn’t feel good right now. Hopefully this won’t last long, and I don’t get so stuck that I don’t recognize when it’s over.

Have you ever been stuck in a moment or wanted to be?

One thought on “Stuck in a Moment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.