24. Why You Feel Stuck & How to Break Nervous System Patterns

Written By Brittany Broderick

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I know what I want… so why can’t I seem to move forward?” this episode was recorded with you in mind.

So often, feeling stuck gets framed as a lack of clarity, motivation, or discipline. But in my experience, that’s rarely what’s actually happening. Most people I work with do know what they want and what the next step is. What they’re really describing is a nervous system that doesn’t yet feel safe enough to take that step.

In this episode of the Body-First Healing Podcast, I explore why feeling stuck is a state of protection, not a personal failure. We talk about how early attachment and survival adaptations shape the patterns we repeat, why the nervous system prioritizes predictability over possibility, and why insight alone doesn’t create lasting change. I also share how the body updates old patterns through lived experiences of safety, not pressure or self-judgment.

I close the episode with a gentle somatic practice you can return to whenever you feel caught in a familiar loop. It’s designed to help your nervous system experience activation without overwhelm, and to slowly build the tolerance that makes real change possible.

If you’ve been hard on yourself for not being “further along,” I hope this conversation brings some relief, clarity, and compassion.

Your patterns make sense. And with the right support, your system is capable of learning something new.

Connect with Britt:


Body-First Healing Resources:


LISTEN, FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:

Brittany Broderick
Previous

25. Q&A: Nervous System Safety In Birth, Helping Kids Regulate, Co-Sleeping & Pregnancy Sensitivity
Next

23. Somatic Practice for Safety: Neuroception, Resourcing & Noticing Glimmers