You know that heavy feeling when life feels stuck on repeat? Like you’re waiting for the outside world to change before you can finally feel different? I’ve been there. The truth is, staying stuck is also a choice. Real change starts with tiny, intentional actions - even when it feels uncomfortable.

So how do we start changing our situation?

Radical Personal Responsibility

The reason taking personal responsibility is ‘radical’ is that most people stay stuck because it feels easier than changing — even when the situation is uncomfortable.

Taking responsibility is very empowering, because you learn that you can be in control of your circumstances. You can always influence your state, and therefore influence your situation. 

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it - growth will be uncomfortable before it feels freeing. Even if your current situation is uncomfortable, it will always be easier to continue than to make a change.

Tiny Shifts Create Big Change

Change doesn’t need to mean that you rearrange your entire life. The most accessible way to change is to shift your state. Your state is how you’re feeling or being, and this becomes very normalized in your comfort zone. Shifting your state can mean getting pumped up, changing your perspective, physically moving your body, or adopting a new attitude. Anything that changes your way of being, even momentarily.

The first step, as always, is self awareness. Notice your current state.

How energised are you feeling? What is your posture? How are you narrating your experience, and what kind of words do you use to speak to yourself? 

For example, if you’re feeling low energy, a simple state shift could be standing up and stretching, putting on a song you love, or practicing a moving meditation. Never underestimate the power of a 60 second dance party.

Breath of Joy: Instant State Changer

The first method I use when I know I need to change my state. This gets me out of a grumpy mood, or works well in place of an afternoon coffee when I’ve been staring at the computer too long. 

Here’s how it works: 

Find a place to stand where you have some space around you to swing your arms.

It’s a three-part inhalation with one big exhale.

• First inhale through the nose and swing your arms forward.

• Inhale again as you swing your arms out to the sides.

• Inhale a third time and swing your arms up overhead.

• Exhale powerfully through the mouth as you hinge at the hips and fold forward, letting out an audible sigh.

Watch this video to practice along with me.

Follow me on Instagram when you’re there watching this tutorial because I share countless more tips on how to change your state on that page.

This Breath of Joy practice floods the body with oxygen, wakes up the nervous system, and quickly shifts your emotional state.

Tiny Shifts - The Series

My friend Katrina has been sharing a daily Instagram series of Tiny Shifts - 30 days of mini practices to move through stuck energy and change your state in the time it takes for the kettle to boil. Find this series on Katrina’s Instagram @katrinamadrilejo during August 2025.

From Stuck to Empowered

The great news is you don’t have to wait to feel better. You can choose to shift right now.

Waiting for things to change or simply wishing your situation were different is disempowering and keeps you in the same cycle, but tiny, intentional actions can change everything.

This concept of taking radical personal responsibility for how I feel has completely changed how I approach problems in my life. And even though it has created very large change, it always starts with 1. Self awareness and 2. Tiny shifts

If you’re ready to keep practicing these tiny shifts, download this quick PDF: 15 Ways To Change How You Feel and post it somewhere you can see it, so you never have an excuse to keep feeling disempowered. Get your download by clicking this link.