Stuck in the Suez Canal: Processing your writing blocks

Stuck in the Suez Canal:

Processing your writing blocks

This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Friday, March 26, 2021. A maritime traffic jam grew to more than 200 vessels Friday outside the Suez Canal and some vessels began changing course as dredgers worked frantically to free a giant container ship that is stuck sideways in the waterway and disrupting global shipping. (©Maxar Technologies via AP). Source access here:

The recent events of the container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has offered some great viewing, much dialogue, and some critical discussion points represented in memes for us over the past week. The event has also offered us a familiar metaphor for how we sometimes feel as PhD scholars, writers and researchers. Stuck. Bogged down. Heavy. Foggy brain. 

Do you have that feeling sometimes? I know I do. 

That feeling of not being able to move, stuck in the mud, beached on the bank. Not moving. Feeling Heavy.  Writer's block. Flow blockage. Words don't come. Ideas seem to be disjointed. Fogg brain. Not sure what to do. 

These are familiar experiences for many of us.

It is not uncommon to feel stuck with our writing, processing of ideas, or finding difficulty in being able to make connections.

Hello problem solving. Let's explore some possibilities. I've been thinking about this feeling of being stuck through the metaphor of Stuck in the Suez Canal, see if any of these ideas and questions for inquiry may help you:

Who is your tugboat? Who is your equivalent of a tugboat, the person or team of people who can help you manoeuvre the block, lack of flow of ideas, or that feeling that you just can't do this? Who can push you, guide you or can offer you a fresh perspective?

Do you need to have a look at all the parts? Hello dismantling parts to assist in the move. How can you pull apart what you are working to support you to look at all the elements? Grab a pen and map your “parts” on paper, knowing you can move around sections, see connections or notice where the blockage may be (think too many ideas, ideas in the wrong place or perhaps even a framing of an idea that perhaps needs to be shifted, reframed or removed).

It takes time to become unblocked. What processes do you have in place to help you become unblocked? How can time be your friend here where you embrace “think time” rather than rushing? Is there a way to reframe the pressure you are putting on yourself? What are your go to strategies that help you pause? Box breathing, transition meditation or a 5 senses mindful moment?

What detail are you focusing on right now? Are you focused on the fact that you are blocked, stuck or feeling bogged down? Or are you focusing on where you want to go and how you might be able to explore possibilities of moving there while enjoying this process with a curious lens?

Who's putting pressure on you? What does this look like for you? Who are your red flag people (attackers, passive aggressive buddies, negative nancy mates, boundary disrespectors or energy zappers) and green flag people (supporters, curious about your work mates, support you when you need help friends, respect your boundaries peeps, are excited to hear how you are progressing pals or energise you buddies) in your life? What does this look like for you right now? What boundaries might you need to put up for yourself so you don't feel like those around you are pressuring you or queuing up in the canal behind you?