Why do I feel stuck in life?
By No Rush · Updated October 23, 2026
The short answer
People get stuck in life for many reasons. Work or a study that no longer fits, not finding a way in, school that's over, not knowing what you want, comparing yourself to others, being worn out, feeling alone, money worries or something that happened. Often it's a mix. What helps first depends on which of these fit you.
Ten common reasons people get stuck
Next to each one is the first step No Rush itself starts with.
You're in something that no longer fits
A job, a study or a relationship that doesn't fit anymore, and the feeling you can't leave. Psychologist Oliver Robinson calls this being locked in. The first question is what keeps you there: money, other people, fear, or that you chose it yourself and it feels empty now.
You can't find a way in
You want work, a study or a place of your own, but you keep hitting closed doors, for example after rejections. Robinson calls this being locked out. Here, solid ground comes first, like a daily rhythm and enough money to live on. A regular job or a few hours of paid work is a fine step. The right job can come later.
School is over and the rhythm is gone
When school or university ends, so does the timetable. Pick one fixed moment to begin the day, like coffee at nine, and leave the big questions for later.
You don't know what you want
That is rarely one thing. Career researchers Gati, Krausz and Osipow sorted the trouble with choosing into three groups: not being ready yet, missing information, and information that clashes. Direction often comes from doing, so try something small before you look for the answer in another test.
Everyone around you seems to move ahead
Comparing yourself to others can make you feel behind. Notice who you compare yourself with, and where you see them, for example on social media. A day without the feed can be a small first step.
Everything feels like something you have to do
When every day is full of musts, adding one more doesn't help. First look at what still gives you a little energy, and start there.
You're worn out
When you're running on empty, leave plans for later. Rest comes first, with a fixed time to get up. If it lasts, talk to your doctor.
You feel alone in it
Being stuck and having little contact often go together. One contact, and telling someone how it's going for you, is a good first step.
Something happened
If you lost someone or went through something heavy, a plan for your life can wait. If you want to talk, call a friend, your doctor or a helpline.
It's not about how you handle it
Some things that keep you stuck have nothing to do with how you handle them: not having enough money, debts, no place of your own, caring for someone else, or no work nearby. Then the next step is to arrange something, like an application, an appointment or a phone call.
How common it is
Feeling stuck in your twenties is common. In a British study, about seven in ten people in their thirties remembered a period like this from their twenties. How often it happens differs a lot by country. In a 2025 study across eight countries, about four in ten people aged 18 to 29 in the United Kingdom and Greece said they had had a quarter-life crisis, against almost eight in ten in Indonesia.
Work is the reason that comes up most. In a study of the language in 1.5 million tweets, work was the word most strongly linked to people saying they were in a quarter-life crisis.
Is it okay to take it slow?
Yes, there's no rush. You can take a few weeks to look around before you decide anything big, as long as one small thing keeps going each day, like a walk or a message to someone. The app is called No Rush for that reason.
Rushing into the next thing can bring you back to where you started. Robinson's model of a crisis in early adulthood has four phases: being locked in, stepping out, exploring, and building something new. It can go wrong when you skip the exploring and jump into something new for the same reasons as before. The model comes from interviews, so it describes how it often goes.
Exploring counts as a step. Think of talking to someone who does work you're curious about, or trying an idea for a week before you decide anything.
One thing for today
Pick the reason above that fits you most, take its first step, and tie it to a moment. For example: When I've had my coffee tomorrow, I'll send one message to someone I haven't spoken to in a while.
Plans in this when-then form make it more likely that you start. In a review of 94 studies with more than 8,000 people, they clearly helped people reach their goals.
No Rush app
An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.
Sign up free Take the test For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.
Sources
- Robinson (2019). A longitudinal mixed-methods case study of quarter-life crisis during the post-university transition: locked-out and locked-in forms in combination. Emerging Adulthood, 7(3), 167-179. doi.org/10.1177/2167696818764144
- Robinson, Wright & Smith (2013). The holistic phase model of early adult crisis. Journal of Adult Development, 20, 27-37. doi.org/10.1007/s10804-013-9153-y
- Robinson & Wright (2013). The prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in early adulthood and midlife. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 37, 407-416. doi.org/10.1177/0165025413492464
- Robinson et al. (2025). Quarter-life crisis episodes in emerging adulthood: a mixed-methods analysis of data from eight countries. Emerging Adulthood, 13, 1491-1506. doi.org/10.1177/21676968251380890
- Agarwal, Guntuku, Robinson, Dunn & Ungar (2020). Examining the phenomenon of quarter-life crisis through artificial intelligence and the language of Twitter. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 341. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00341
- Gati, Krausz & Osipow (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(4), 510-526. doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.43.4.510
- Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Read next
- What is a quarter-life crisis?A period in your twenties or early thirties when life stops feeling right. What it looks like, its two forms, its four phases and how common it is.
- Why do I feel lost?Feeling lost often starts when something that gave your days direction ends. Five kinds of not knowing, each with its own first step.
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