Stuck in a Loop? Welcome to Your Personal Groundhog Day
Groundhog out in nature
Are you stuck in your own version of Groundhog Day, repeating the same patterns and frustrations, wondering when life will finally move forward?
For those who might not know the reference, this is the title of a 90s movie. I saw it when I was 18 and absolutely loathed it. Then I had to watch it again in my 20s during a yearlong personal development course, and I hated it even more. It’s right at the top of my most hated movies of all time. I still remember my teacher telling me how spiritual it was. Who cares? I still thought it was thoroughly frustrating and unamusing.
It’s the story of a man called Phil who wakes up on the same day, Groundhog Day, every morning in a little town in the middle of nowhere. My definition of a nightmare. The same crappy day on repeat forever. GAH. And maybe that’s why it’s haunted me all these years, because somewhere deep down, I’ve lived my own version of that loop.
The other night, I was having a big personal crisis and did what I tend to do when nothing works out. I shouted at the Universe, gave back whatever wasn’t working (usually there’s a lot), and asked for everything to be returned to me fixed and healed because I was burnt out and done settling. This time I also asked for a sign, an explanation, something to show me why nothing seemed to be working. Then I slapped on an extra strength sleeping patch (love those) and went to sleep.
Lo and behold, I was awoken at 3 a.m. on the dot with the title Groundhog Day and the image of one of the scenes where the main character tries to end his life over and over. I made a note of it, knowing this was an answered prayer.
I knew I had to watch it again. I even mentioned it to my wonderful coach, who immediately expressed her own distaste for it. We both agreed this movie was triggering. I finally surrendered to the call of the Groundhog and watched it with my oldest daughter. I guess I didn’t have the life experience or perspective back then to appreciate the jewel it was. Because this time, I laughed. (It’s supposed to be a comedy, after all.) I laughed because I could see myself in Phil in so many ways. And this time, it landed completely differently.
The movie is spiritual because it’s such an honest depiction of life on Earth and all the ways we try to escape ourselves. Phil’s endless plight is an initiation, not a punishment. His despair cracks his ego open and allows transformation and surrender to happen. Despair is the ego realizing it can’t win; it can only surrender. (Hello despair, my old friend!) Once Phil surrenders to the idea that he’ll be stuck there for the rest of his life, he stops trying to control the outcome. He begins acting from love, presence, and sincerity. Frustration and control block joy, pleasure, and flow. It made me think about how our soul keeps giving us the same lessons until we embody the states we came here to live.
One of the key teachings I deeply believe in is that the first eight divisions of the fertilized egg are called the extraordinary vessels. Each one carries our mandate for this lifetime, 8 states of being we came to master and embody: Love, Joy, Peace, Freedom, Grace, Wonder, Bliss, and Beauty, in that order. We all share the same mandate but can choose how we experience it.
The beauty of this movie is that it shows, again and again, that it doesn’t matter what we do. What matters is how we do it. You’ve heard the saying that people will never forget how you made them feel, but they’ll probably forget what you did. It’s that same idea. You hold more power when you do things for pure enjoyment because it restores alignment and reopens the current of life. Meaning arises from being, not doing.
Notice where you keep replaying the same story. What if your loop isn’t a punishment but an initiation into presence and grace? Share your reflection in the comments or journal about what your own “Groundhog Day” might be teaching you.