PEOPLE

We’ve all felt it, that closing-in feeling when the kitchen counters are covered, hallways are clogged, and you can’t find anything. For the millionth time you tell yourself It’s time to get organized. Or perhaps, for a number of reasons, you feel anxious and overwhelmed all the time. If so, it is possible the clutter and chaos in your home are impacting your mental health, or vice versa. In either case, our homes can reflect all the ways we are stuck.

Psychology reminds us that life starts at home. It is the place we rest our heads, find solace at the end of a hard day, and it is a corner of the universe we can create to be our very own. But life happens at home too. With big change or a challenging season, the home can begin to mirror all the ways we may feel stuck, which makes learning how to get unstuck seem impossible.

While there are many online and professional sources of practical, gentle, and effective skills to help people thrive in their home life, Ashlie Cobb is on mission to help people in Liberty Hill get through the joys and hurdles of life. She started her Unstuck Living business to help those in her own hometown do just that.

Living an Unstuck Life by Megan Diane Beatty • photo by Erin Ashby

FEELING STUCK?

Ashlie says this perception is normal for people in the midst of physical or emotional transitions like moving or divorce. As well, business owners may feel constantly challenged and wish they could clone themselves to free up brain space for home or work. "People sometimes need an extension of themselves," Ashlie says. "One part of their brain tying up loose ends in one place so they can be fully present in another. One of my tasks might be to manage the planning and logistics of a business trip so the business owner can go home to be with family."

Ashlie's brand of life coaching also includes emotional support to widows and elderly who may feel like their lives or loneliness are unmanageable. She says, "I am physically and emotionally there for them in a way that allows them and their loved ones to feel more secure. Introducing people to new experiences or hobbies can bring new happiness."

BEING UNSTUCK

Ashlie shares the concepts, skills, and mindsets for the orderly life many people crave. “When I started this journey, I was a military spouse returned to Texas after 12 years. I was looking to meet my neighbors and I wanted to be a servant in my community. Having a knack for all things home, coordinating chaos, and offering grace, I wanted to be a safe place my neighbors could come to for help with messy situations that don’t always have an easy fix, or even an obvious starting point.”

The pandemic and resulting economic downturn that has affected so many mentally is what led Ashlie to further explore the roots of her own skill sets and go back to school. “My hope is to integrate my natural skill set with greater knowledge and understanding,” she says.

NEED TO UNSTICK?

Ashlie shared one tip for getting unstuck any time. For those dealing with self confidence or negativity, she recommends a three-day social media break, followed by a self-evaluation. "Look for areas where you are focusing on the outside—the external world—that are distracting you from something going on internally. For instance, finish this sentence; 'When I scroll on social media I need to avoid...' Then identify places where you are feeling anxious or playing the comparison game. Where do you feel like you are being fearful or negative? Now address the root of your dissatisfaction."

She adds, if you want to take it one step further, perhaps unfollow some of the influencers who inspire those negative feelings and visit her website for more UnstuckLiving.com.