If you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, you are in a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant situations or courses of action. This idiom is commonly found in both social and professional situations. Having two tough choices which both give unpleasant or unsatisfactory outcomes can be uncomfortable, which explains the literal meaning of actually being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Further Examples:
I love my girlfriend, and I love my mother. I always get stuck between a rock and a hard place when they argue.
If I take the job, I’ll have to move to the other side of the country and leave the family for a large part of the year. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
