The idiomatic metaphor “vicious circle” means literally “a vicious or very difficult path, upon which one following to the end will find oneself back at the beginning”. What should I do if I am stuck between rock

• and hard place? With a deadline fast approaching… and no sources in mind to help him build his story, Josh felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. He resisted, but was eventually released. He must do something. One

• step forward, two steps back – colloquial/general use – Another idiomatic phrase, this one describes a sense of frustration over an inability to make progress, usually in a situation where the solving of one problem created or will create other problems. Example: “Every repair we make is one step forward, two steps back!” If a ship was damaged without tools, we can’t fix it today! ”

• What if we have a status quo, and the speaker can’t break out of it? When Jessica’s idea for a morals focus group was shut down by company leadership, grudgingly derided the company as stuck in the status quo. I want to see someone that will move us to something else, I want to get my name back. ” “Caught

• in an endless loop” – colloquial/general use – Probably the closest to the idiom mentioned in the question, but with less focus on harm to the speaker, this idiomatic phrase describes a sense of being forced to repeat the same task or event over and over again. While quite similar in structure to the idiomatic phrase used in the question, I am including this one because it is used colloquially. “‘You were denied for a promotion again? ‘Yes… Sometimes it feels like I’m caught in an endless loop…” Stuck

• on a/the hamster wheel – colloquial/informative – This is a cuter form of caught in an endless loop. Is it the same thing?

How are you feeling about a new product or service?