12 Easy Tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut
Are you looking for Easy Tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut. You’re in the right place.
Do you feel frustrated with a low mood, low motivation, low energy, and general feelings of hopelessness? If life suddenly feels meaningless, and you’re no longer feeling inspired you may be stuck in a rut. Most times you find yourself just doing things on autopilot.
There are times when I run without a specific intention. There’s something about having a goal attached, but when I don’t, it seems like I get caught in a rut. There are times that my workouts just become a habit, something I do, without purpose. It’s a daily discipline I’ve created, but there’s no purpose behind it.
I’m running the same pace, the same mileage, and the same route day after day, but I don’t know why I am doing it. That’s a rut — and that’s a problem. Are you stuck in a rut?
Being stuck in a rut is a personal experience. You might be feeling overwhelmed or losing interest in things you once enjoyed. For others, you might feel like life is just boring or you experience mental fatigue or burnout.
Getting out of a rut may be challenging but it’s not impossible. These are the 12 Easy Tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut. These are the key steps you can take to form new habits, re-engage with the things you love, and enjoy a future rich with purpose and joy.
With a little effort and intention, it’s possible to be excited about life again, achieve your goals, and fulfill your purpose in life.
What does it mean to be stuck in a rut?
The definition of a rut is “a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.” It’s something that we do on a daily basis that has become normal but isn’t moving us forward.
Sometimes it’s something we thought was beneficial, but even good habits can become a rut if we remain the same and don’t make progress.
When you’re in a rut, you may feel that your day-to-day life has no excitement and that things will never change but that’s not true. You may be feeling both disinterested and dissatisfied.
These mental and emotional symptoms may lead to procrastination, especially in taking positive actions that will help you feel better and become productive again like sleeping early, setting goals, or planning for the day ahead.
How to Know if You’re in a Rut
How do you know if you’re stuck in a rut? There are some signs and symptoms you can pay attention to.
Here are some questions I have for you. A mini quiz if you will. See if any of these resonate with you, and I want you to answer them honestly:
- Do you feel like nothing brings you a sense of excitement or inspires you?
- Are you just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and getting through the day?
- Do you struggle to remember the last time you laughed or had fun?
- Are you out of motivation and inspiration? Even when you close in on a new client or get a new job you’re not even motivated or passionate to work on it and achieve success.
- Does life feel dull and even activities you once loved or your favorite hobbies feel like a chore?
- Are you sticking with your comfort zone even though you’re not happy?
- Do you want to change and need to change but you’re afraid of failure? Have negative thoughts taken over your mind. Are you stuck in a vicious cycle of speaking negatively toward your current state?
- Do you feel overwhelmed with your goals and to-do list? Does everything seem impossible to achieve and you’ve started to procrastinate on what’s important?
- Do you feel like you have no purpose and fulfillment in life?
- Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your phone every spare moment?
- Does every day feel the same?
If you said yes to any of these things, that’s a rut! Life should be exciting. Every day should be a new day with new experiences and new growing opportunities. We should wake up feeling alive, not dreading getting out of the covers.
So think about what it is that you do without even thinking about it. Is it beneficial? Is it moving you forward? Is it creating a passion inside of you? To get out of the rut you’re in, you’ve got to shake things up.
Successful people acknowledge the rut when they see it and shake things up to get out of it.
12 Easy Tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut
A rut is usually a temporary state that can change with the right action. It might seem impossible at first, but you can get your life back on track.
With these 12 practical tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut, you can find the help and energy you need to make a change. Even if you’re feeling stagnant, making small changes can lead you back on the road to success.
Acknowledge the problem
The first step you need to take when solving a problem is to accept that the problem exists. Don’t pretend like you’re not in a rut and just brush it aside. Take time to reflect and be honest with yourself about what’s going on in your life.
There’s no need to blame yourself. It’s a normal part of life and at one point or the other, most people get into a rut. Rather focus on practicing self-compassion and planning for the specific actions you’re going to take to move forward.
Even if you don’t know everything you’re going to do to get out of the problem, resolve to be intentional and committed to working through the situation.
Identify the cause of the problem
The next step you need to take is to understand what’s causing you to feel stuck. This helps you set the goals to overcome the challenge.
There are a number of reasons why you may be feeling stuck in a mental rut. Maybe you’re exhausted and on the brink of burnout and need to take better care of your health and get adequate sleep.
It could be a temporary situation that will soon pass or a relationship that isn’t fulfilling your needs anymore and you need to assess if you want to stay with that person.
Maybe you’re struggling with fear of the unknown or fear of failure and it’s keeping you stagnant in your comfort zone. It may be time to embrace that uncertainty is part of life and see it as an opportunity for growth and progress.
The good news is identifying the cause of your current situation will help you take the necessary steps to address it and shake off the rut. If you’re struggling to understand why you’re struggling, you can also reach out to a therapist to help you along the journey.
Set Clear Goals
A lot of people feel stuck, demotivated, and dissatisfied because they’ve lost sight of their goals. Or maybe they set goals that were not realistic and they’re now stuck and discouraged because they feel like a failure.
It’s important to use the SMART framework to set goals. These are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely goals. These kind of goals give you a sense of direction and energize you. In the long run, they inspire you because you have something to look forward to.
Ensure you break those specific goals into small milestones so you can appreciate the progress you make along the way. This helps to eliminate the frustration you may be feeling.
ADD WORKSHOP GRAPHIC HERE AND LINK TO IT (GABE CAN DO THAT AFTER FORMATTING)
Practice Daily Gratitude Journaling
Practicing gratitude every single day is one of the best ways to shift your perspective on what you’re going through. The simple step of starting or ending the day by writing in your gratitude journal will remind you about all the good things that are going right in your life.
Remember the past experiences that God delivered you from and that He is faithful to help you again with your current situation.
Make small changes
Being in a comfort zone will stop you from learning, growing, and expanding your views on people, life, and yourself. It pushes you past your horizons and daily routine and shows you that change is possible.
But you don’t need to make a drastic change when you’re feeling stuck in your current state. You can’t conquer everything at the same time otherwise you’ll end up overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated.
Sometimes progress is slow and you need to learn to be patient. Move forward making tiny changes in your behavior or changing one habit at a time. As you focus on one thing, master it, and repeat it, you can then move on to the next. This helps you recognize what’s not working so you can adjust or try something else.
For example, you may need to take a day off work and focus on reflection, planning, and strategizing about how you can love your job again.
Or you may need to read inspirational books to get excited about your dreams again. In that case, just taking 20 minutes to read each day would be a good start and it can make all the difference.
These smaller, manageable changes may not seem like much in the moment but collectively they’re the best way to take you in the direction you want to go and help you feel energized and excited about your life again.
Change Your Routine
Even our daily disciplines can become a rut if we don’t grow or change from them. If reading fifteen minutes has become easy and is now just a checkmark that you did it, change it up! Increase it. Start reading 30 minutes a day.
If you’ve been reading but not applying what you’re reading, start there. Reading doesn’t change you. Applying what you read is what makes the difference. Don’t let your discipline just become a routine or just become a habit. They have to be intentional if you want results.
Maybe you need to try something different. Learn new things. Do something for the first time. Trying new things is a good idea as it gets you out of feeling bored and being stuck on auto-pilot. It’s not only young people who need to explore. You can be curious and acquire new knowledge too even when you’re older.
Try small things like talking to someone new and shake up your social life. Pursue a new hobby and do an activity that keeps you healthy. Use a new route to go to church or work.
Be spontaneous and add something interesting to your morning routine. It could be as simple as having a 10-minute dance session to your favorite music before you start the day. Live in the moment and try new experiences.
Do you sit in the same spot at church, park in the same spot at work every day, or stand in the same spot in your fitness class? Here’s the thing, if you sit in a different spot, you have a different view, a different vantage point. A different view means you can see things in a new way!
I’m a fitness instructor, so I see it all the time. Members get fairly annoyed when someone takes their specific spot, bike, or equipment. Many times I make them move around the room for that very reason.
I want to shake them up a bit! If you’re in a different spot in your fitness class, you’re surrounded by different people, and you have a new atmosphere!
If you sit in a new spot at church, you may interact with someone you haven’t met yet, and it could bless either you or the other person! You may see this in a whole new way!
Take a walk and reflect on life. Fresh air does a soul good and it improves your mental health and emotional health. Taking a walk outside or hiking helps you relax, enjoy the beauty of creation, lower stress, decrease depression, and renew your sense of wonder.
For me, when l run l become inspired and come up with so many new and creative ideas for my business.
Change your routine just a little bit, and you’ll be amazed at the significant change this can have on everything! It might be just what you need to get back on track with your goals.
Successful people are intentional people. They do things on purpose and for a purpose, and they get what they can out of each moment.
They acknowledge the rut when they see it and shake things up to get out of it. They don’t choose to remain there. Successful people do whatever they need to do to get out of their rut.
Without mental transformation, the actions we take to “change” may only produce a new place where we continue to do our old things.
— Myles Munroe
Find Your Purpose
One of the human needs we all have is to find our purpose and follow it. It’s one of the most important things that makes life worthwhile. When you’re not doing what you were designed to, you experience a lack of motivation and morale.
It’s important to look for ways to contribute to your community. Volunteer at a local shelter or serve in your church. Help a friend with their projects or be there for a family member going through a hard time. Do something that makes you proud of yourself and brings you joy.
Connect with other humans and offer professional help to a junior person online or at your workplace. These little things will bring meaning to life, reignite your flame, and along the way you’ll discover your talents, and skills and ultimately bring a sense of purpose.
Engage in self-care
Making time for self-care on a regular basis is the most important thing you can do for your physical health and mental health.
It could be something small like a cup of tea, eating healthy food, taking a hot bath, enjoying quality sleep, engaging in physical activity, taking a break from social media or an addictive TV show, or spending time reconnecting over lunch with a loved one.
These small steps to recharge and reset bring happiness and a sense of excitement into your daily life. You’ll get a fresh perspective, a boost of energy and motivation, and confidence that you can get out of the rut you’re stuck in.
Remember the best things in life are usually free. Taking care of yourself and making yourself your own best friend is so essential to your overall well-being.
Let go of perfectionism
The main problem causing you to be in an emotional rut might be the desire for perfectionism. When you avoid mistakes it leads to a lack of personal growth.
You might be having long work hours but still feel like what you work on is not good enough. It leads to self-sabotage, and burnout and can keep you spinning your wheels for a long time. Ultimately you can even get into a deeper rut.
If you’re a high achiever, the desire to hold yourself to a high standard is a common feeling. But an impossible standard will lead you to be overwhelmed and stressed. It’s important to let go of this desire for perfectionism and focus on doing your best work.
Celebrate your Progress
It’s easy to feel like everything is going wrong. But is it really? There might be positive things happening in your life that are going well.
You may have made progress on that new project or you’ve been consistent with the new habits you’ve adopted. That’s a great thing and worth celebrating. There’ll always be more to do and room for improvement but you mustn’t let that weigh you down.
Whether it’s a big win or small win take time to acknowledge it and celebrate your best effort in achieving it. It will make a positive impact on your emotional state and help you get out of the rut you’re in.
Get Help and Support
If you’re stuck in the daily grind and feeling overwhelmed because you’re doing a lot of things it might be time to get help. This could be hiring help for example an assistant or Virtual Assistant if run your own business.
Let them take some simple tasks off your plate. You can also consider automating some tasks or doing work in batches.
If you have a ton of demands at home, reach out to a family member or friend to support you during that season. Most people are willing to help if we just ask.
Get Professional Help when it’s more than just a rut
A rut is usually temporary so if it happens for a long time with nothing improving then it might be something serious. You may be living with persistent depressive disorder (PDD), or dysthymia,
You may feel like being trapped in a rut you can’t escape. The symptoms include decreased energy, less interest in daily activities, loss of motivation, difficulty finding joy in life, or having low self-esteem.
If this is the case, you’ll need to talk to your healthcare provider or a mental health professional about your symptoms.
Being in a rut is a temporary state where you feel your life is stagnant, you’re doing things on autopilot or you’re struggling to enjoy activities you used to like. So what rut are you in today? Is it in your personal or professional life?
There are 12 Easy Tips to Get Out When You’re Stuck in a Rut. They include acknowledging the problem, setting clear goals, making small changes, changing your routine, and gratitude journaling.
You’ll also need to find your purpose, engage in self-care, celebrate your progress, let go of perfectionism, and get support and professional help when you need it.
What are you needing to change up? Choose one thing this week to change up and see what happens! I bet you’ll find it’s easier to get out of your rut than you thought! Choose today to shake things up and get out of your rut. Even small steps will move you toward the life you want.
Goals Workshop (free resource)
Are you tired of quitting on yourself and your goals? Are you sick of the hustle culture and want a different strategy? My simple Red Hot Goals Formula will help you create a personalized game plan that works for your capacity in different seasons. You CAN work your goals into your lifestyle without sacrificing everything to achieve them.
In this free workshop, you’ll learn:
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- The secret sauce to taking action that works, even if you have limited time to make things happen
- PLUS: The #1 mistake people make when goal setting that causes them to quit too soon
If you are MORE than ready to finally take that desire inside your heart from conception to the finish line, this is for you!
