12 Ways to Get Out of a Rut

Do you feel like you are stuck in a rut? Do you dread every day? When you wake up do you feel a sense of emptiness and lack anything to look forward to?

You don’t have to feel like your life is doomed to be the same thing every day with no hope for change. The first step is the hardest – it’s a cliché but it’s the truth. Once you start taking action to live the life you want, your progress will snowball and each step will be easier than the last.

Here are 12 things to do to get started on working your way out of a rut.

1. Decide what your goals are. Dream big knowing that you’ll be able to break everything down into manageable chunks. Don’t stress about the how at this point, it will inhibit you from finding out what it is that you truly desire out of life.
2. Consider the company that you keep. Are you spending your time with negative people who always see the bad side and are always armed with a reason why they/you can’t do something? Or do you seek out positive, energetic people who will encourage you on your way and help you find a way to make things possible? You will absorb the energy of those around you, so make sure you’re getting positive vibes.
3. Take your big dream and break it down into smaller steps that aren’t nearly so overwhelming. Don’t get too bogged down in the planning and research stages though, it’s one of the most common ways to procrastinate and never accomplish anything.
4. Try something new. Learning new skills and having new experiences is one of the best ways to keep our brains feeling young and enthusiastic. Even something as simple as learning to cook a foreign food or taking a walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood can be stimulating and leave us open for even more new experiences.
5. Actively relax. How many times have you spent hours glued to the computer, not really doing anything but not willing to leave because you have things you need to do? If you’re not able to be productive, go ahead and take a real break. Take the time to fully de-stress and get refreshed instead of spending hours and days in an unproductive, frustrating struggle to get things done.
6. Look at your life from another perspective. You might be stuck in a cycle of only being able to see the negatives but chances are great that there are plenty of positives in your life right now. It’s no more unrealistic to focus on the positive than it is to hone in on the negative.
7. Get more exercise and make healthier food choices. It’s easy to neglect our bodies when we’re feeling blah and the more we neglect them, the worse we feel. Taking care of ourselves is not only good for our health but reinforces the idea that we matter.
8. Practice saying no. There is nothing wrong with making yourself and your own goals a priority. Don’t feel like you have to say yes to every request then spend your days stewing in resentment and feeling trapped.
9. Take responsibility for your own situation. Don’t beat yourself up but understand that the only one who can get your life on course is you. Don’t point the fingers at everyone around you, it is unproductive and leaves you feeling helpless. Instead, look at your goals and make up your mind to take actions that will bring you closer to what you ultimately want.
10. Unleash your creativity. You might not think of yourself as a creative person, but we all have some creative ability. Find a creative activity that you enjoy doing and have some fun working on it a few times a week. The idea is not to produce a masterpiece but to exercise those creative muscles and to give you an outlet for expressing yourself.
11. Laugh. A lot. See a funny movie, read a book by a favorite comedian, spend time with that friend that never fails to crack you up, do whatever you can to get a few laughs. Laughter is one of the best ways to release tension, ease stress and break a negative thought loop.
12. Live in the moment. If you spend all of your time fretting about the future, it’s impossible to enjoy the present. Paradoxically, those that are able to focus on the moment at hand are better able to meet their long term goals than those who find themselves constantly stressed out about what might or might not happen in the future.

If you’ve read this far you might be thinking “Okay that’s good, but…” Stop looking for reasons why you can’t get out of your rut and instead give these methods a try. You can get out of your rut but only if you stop looking for reasons why nothing will work for you.

Tracy O’Connor is the mother of 5 boys and a ghostwriter who also writes a personal humor blog.

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