When you first become “stuck,” it might take a little while for you to notice, so you’re able to make certain changes. These feelings often build slowly over time. You don’t start by asking yourself, “How do I get out of a rut?” You usually start in confusion about your entire life.
What does getting out of a rut mean?
You may follow the same routine every day, but eventually, it feels less like working toward something and more like you’re just killing time. There are some specific signs to show that you might be stuck in a rut.
- Every day seems the same – You may struggle to remember what day it is, even if you knew the day yesterday. Is it Monday, or is it Friday? The days all begin to merge into one and end up indistinguishable from the other.
- You feel like you’re just trying to get through another day – You don’t feel excited or inspired and get through the day by just putting one foot in front of the other, and by the end, you feel exhausted.
- You feel unmotivated – Your brain will be telling you that you’d love to take on something new and engage in creative tasks, but you feel like your motivation has run dry, and you have no idea where to start, so you don’t.
- You feel unfulfilled – Life feels dull and boring. You might feel like you’ve accomplished a task, but it is short-lived, and you start to feel as if you haven’t done enough.
- You want to change but fear the temporary discomfort that comes with it – Changing certain things in your life will make a difference and, ultimately, make you happier. Still, you struggle, so sticking to the status quo becomes second nature and ensures you won’t have to risk any pain or failure.
How to get out of a rut
It’s clear. You must get out of a rut in life. Not being able to move forward toward goals can be debilitating. It causes depression and enhances stress. Stuck in a routine isn’t as comfortable as it may seem at first. Eventually, you’ll be going crazy. So, you must learn how to get out of that funk.
Acknowledge The Problem
If you’re unable to acknowledge that you’re stuck in a rut, you’ll find it more challenging to get yourself out of it. Once you’ve found the root cause of the problems you’re experiencing, you should try your best not to criticize or degrade yourself.
It’s one of the easiest things in the world to try and make your feelings seem trivial and to minimize the problem itself. You may start thinking that you have no right to feel the way you do because you have a great life, but you’re being counterproductive and can keep you trapped by doing this. If you’re not satisfied, then it’s time to make the changes and bring your spark back.
Break Things Down Into Steps
If you feel yourself falling behind in certain aspects of your life, whether it’s working out, keeping in touch with important people in your life, work, etc., then you should take some time to sit down and write down a list of steps you can take to improve them. Although, remember to create little steps as not to overwhelm yourself. The worst thing you can do is make a list of thousands of big things you need to change or accomplish. It could make you even more withdrawn.
Notice When You Feel Overwhelmed
Not everything needs to be done right now. Recognize and be compassionate toward yourself. If you think of everything you need to do, whether that’s something for today or in a month, it is easy to get overwhelmed. All you may feel is the heavy load weighing you down. Write small goals down and move forward once those are completed.
Create Lists Of Different Parts Of Your Life
This includes work, home, children, family, fitness, finance, health, leisure, learning, and personal development. First, look at what needs doing in each of these areas. Then, focus on which areas of your life need the greatest attention and identify a set number of time slots during the week to start working on them.
Forget Perfection
Concentrating so much on perfectionism will cause you never to finish a project and never being happy or feeling good about the work you’ve done. Set a standard that is not perfect but demonstrates you have got the job done.
Step Away From The Screen
Take a walk, get some fresh air and rejuvenate yourself. This will help you get back to the task and focus. You will be able to take a fresh new look at any roadblocks you hadn’t seen before. Even if you make a teacup, this will help massively keep your mind productive and motivated enough to step right back into work.
Set Small Attainable Daily Wins
It can be as simple as clearing out your garage, clearing your inbox, or dealing with a tax return. You will start to feel a sense of relief from the burden as these small tasks are ticked off your list.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindful meditation enables you to slow down to a peaceful slow pace, focus on your breath and put a space between you and the thoughts which enter your mind. You will begin to recognize the thoughts for what they are. They are just thoughts, not facts.
List The Negative Thoughts
Dump your brain out on paper by listing your deepest feelings about yourself and the circumstances around you. Secondly, list what the thoughts make you believe and feel, then identify how these feelings make you behave.
For example, if you think you are not good at your job, you will likely believe that you are not good enough and feel unconfident and unworthy. In turn, it will result in you withdrawing from work and possibly being less effective than what you would be if you felt good about yourself.
Try Something New
Trying something new will rejuvenate your mind and make you feel more positive and productive about the day. For example, you could take a new route to work, sign up for a new class, watch a new show, or explore a new part of your hometown.
If you’re struggling with your life and think that it’s become boring, try your best to live in the moment and become more spontaneous. Do things that are not pre-planned. Don’t be afraid to do the unexpected and say yes to new experiences.
Turn Your Negative Thoughts Into Empowering Thoughts
You don’t have to believe that you have to think all of the time positively. The truth is, negative things will happen, but it’s how you deal with it that matters! It’s part of life. As much as we might try, we can’t control outside circumstances as much as we want to.
Although, we will always have the power over our own thoughts. Turn those negative thoughts into more realistic, helpful statements. For example, if you’ve recently had a relationship breakdown, you may start to believe that nobody will ever love you again. It’s a huge over-generalization that isn’t entirely based on the truth.
Take a step back and look at the situation from a different perspective. It simply means that you weren’t supposed to be together, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find that person for you in the future; it just might take some time.
Find A Coach To Keep You Accountable
Find a friend, relative, or coach which you can speak openly with. Therapists will often set homework for their clients to complete each week. I have worked with female leaders who wish to get out of negative thinking patterns.
We work on something to which they are held accountable for doing something out of their usual routine. Joining a dance class, going to the gym three times weekly, or completing an indoor skydive session are examples. They would return the following session beaming and rejuvenated. They would often comment on how they wouldn’t have taken action, but they followed through on their word as they were made accountable.
Finally
You may wonder why such a dance class would make a great leader. The answer is this. Imagine the leader you want to be, how you walk, talk, sound, and appear. Then, outside of your job as a leader, consider which activities you might be involved in building your character. If you want to become the best version of yourself, it involves strengthening all parts of your life. so break out of a rut and get moving!