9 changes to make when you’re stuck in a rut

Exercise

No matter how lazy, tired, unmotivated or busy you are, you need to get your body going. You will gain so many benefits from just a 30-minute workout. It doesn’t have to be anything intense. Even a brisk walk around the block will help you physically and with your mental clarity.

Write about it

You probably already know that writing is therapeutic. It can be a place to record your biggest failures, disappointments, or regrets as well as your greatest accomplishments, joys, and goals. Try to write daily about your thoughts, experiences, and feelings that are most significant, and include the steps you’ve taken to improve yourself. This way you can track how you’ve progressed, and ultimately how you’ve turned negative experiences into positive ones.

Throw a party

Unless you invite a bunch of Deidre-downers, hosting a party when you feel stuck is usually a good idea. Reach out to others, make connections, and enjoy them. There’s something validating about bringing together people who would otherwise not be in the same room. It’s a near perfect remedy to feeling humdrum.

Jump on the Podcast Train

I’ve been a little late to the podcast party but I love them as there is literally no excuse not to listen to them…In the car, in the shower, whilst working out. There are so many inspirational and motivational podcasts that can fit easily in to your day from fitness motivation, finding healing, and meditation through to winning at work. However if reading is your bag, there are also plenty of books or articles that will help you.

Force Yourself

I realise this isn’t really the advice you are looking for but every now and then you just need to swallow that slug. Do that thing you don’t want to do AT ALL. The more you postpone; the more stress and dread will come from it. Just get it done! What I’ve been working on recently is getting the most important task done first thing in the morning. Knowing your hardest task is done and the rest of the day is plain sailing is a great feeling.

Get Some Vitamin D!

There’s a good reason the term ‘Winter Blues’ exists. We all need some good old rays of sunshine to help put us in a better mood. It doesn’t matter if the sun hasn’t surfaced from behind the clouds in months, its still there and you can benefit from taking a stroll on a cloudy. Just remember to wear your sunscreen, even on the cloudiest of days!

Take a class

As the saying goes, Learn as if you were to live forever. And what better time to learn and grow than during moments when we feel stuck. Education has a way of driving us forward and bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be. Take a class on a topic that interests you to give you that spark you may be searching for.

Wallow for 5 minutes

We aren’t often prone to structure our wallow, and it can go on and on if we let it. While we all feel down and out sometimes, it becomes a problem when it goes on for too long and hampers with our daily functioning. The key is to take control—control of how we react to negative feelings. One way to do that is to allot a time limit to be upset. That way, we validate our disappointment while also showing that our feelings don’t have us, we have them.

Relax

Take a deep breath. It’s okay to not feel 100% all the time. We all need breaks and maybe this is your body telling you to do just that. Sometimes these moods take over us and the only thing that makes us feel better is realising it’s okay to feel unmotivated/sad/unproductive/down.

Some of these tips may be easier to execute than others, but instead of waiting until you become a expert rut slayer, make sure to reward yourself along with way with a few pats on the back or maybe some ice-cream and show yourself compassion. The key is to value you for the work you put into feeling unstuck because it reinforces you to get better at dealing with it.

It can be empowering to know you don’t have to depend on anyone or anything to be content. And if you get really good at creating your own happiness while striving to achieve your goals, you may find that the journey to reaching them is a much more fulfilling experience than the goals themselves.