These days, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed, hopeless, or discouraged, given how maxed-out daily life seems, against a backdrop of national and global crises. This episode provides a way to create actual space when you feel stuck, exhausted, and uncertain. I talk about the First Step (Critical Life) Paradox and how to unify that. And I draw attention to several messages that keep most of us stuck in an illusion of progress and no real space to make any substantial or sustainable change.