It’s normal to get stuck in a rut every once in a while. We go through seasons of life where we feel like we’ve hit a plateau. This is a natural mental state that we can enter into whether it be in our personal or professional lives. This rut can make you feel as if you’re not getting enough done or that what you are doing is not meaningful. Thankfully, that is exactly what a rut is. It is simply a mental state that you can break through by practicing a few mindful techniques.
- Identify the Cause
- Break out of the Routine
- Find Your Purpose
- Create Healthy Habits
- Say Yes to Challenges
- Get Support
Continue reading to find a more indepth look at each of these steps to getting out of your rut.
Identify the Cause
The first step to getting out of your rut is acknowledging you’re in one. Oftentimes, when stuck in a rut, it is easy to make up all the excuses in the book as to why things are not working out. Don’t allow yourself to feel bad and pity, instead tell yourself it is OK and figure out the source.
Doing some self reflection can help find the root cause of what has put you in this rut. Whether you hit a plateau in your workout routine or don’t feel motivation in your career, allowing your life to continue without recognition and change will not bring any happiness and success into your life. Figure out what is limiting you from reaching your full potential.
Break out of the Routine
It is easy to go through life on autopilot, while feeling unmotivated and unhappy. Once we get ourselves in a routine it is hard to break out, even when we begin to feel unsuccessful. We are creatures of habit, so breaking out of our comfort zones is uncomfortable and scary for most people. Once we have discovered what is holding us back, we can set ourselves goals on how we can break out of our routines. Start small and slow so you avoid getting overwhelmed and pushed back in the rut.
Find Your Purpose
Finding your sense of purpose and giving yourself something to work towards helps keep us on track and out of the rut. Having a purpose, even something small, keeps us motivated and excited to succeed. Setting goals that are not quite in reach as quickly as others is just as important. By holding out for larger rewards in the future, creates and builds better self-control and willpower.
Just as important as it is to set long term goals, creating short term and quickly achievable goals helps for that instant gratification. When we are paving the way to reaching our long term goals, conquering small victories helps to keep us inspired.
Create Healthy Habits
Now that we have figured out that we are in a rut, we have built the confidence to get out and found our purpose, it is time to change our habits. When we have been living on autopilot for an extensive period of time, our day to day gets exhausting and leaves us with a lack of energy to do anything beneficial for ourselves. Without energy and the drive to create healthier habits in our lives, there is no motivation to succeed in other aspects.
Here is a list of healthy habits you can create to get out of your rut:
- Join a new gym/ find a new exciting exercise routine
- Get outside
- Change your diet
- Get more sleep/ change your sleeping habits
- Spend time with loved ones and friends
- Take breaks when needed
Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle fuels your brain and body efficiently, in turn driving you towards success.
Say Yes to Challenges
After beginning to make the smart and healthier steps towards getting out of our ruts, we can be presented with challenges and obstacles. When we get into the same routine, and complacent, challenges can raise a big red flag in our brain. Even though these challenges can present themselves as frightening, looking at something from a different perspective can create a more efficient outcome. Choosing to take a different path can lead you to even greater success.
Saying yes to challenges can also teach you new skill sets you never knew you needed. Approach problems from an angle you’ve never considered before, thus giving you new insight that will ultimately help you climb out of the rut.
Get Support
Finally, if you have made an honest effort towards each of these steps and still find it difficult to give yourself that extra push, you can seek out support from others. Whether that is a family member, friend, mentor or even a therapist. You never have to go through it all alone, and reaching out to someone can give you another look on your situation. If you need to get motivated and change your aspect on life, listen to a podcast or video from motivational speaker, Ryan Zofay, who gives great and uplifting advice on life and the challenges it can bring.
Are You Ready to Get out of Your Rut?
When we find ourselves stuck in life, it is so easy to give up or stay complacent in the situations we are in. Following these six steps can bring excitement and purpose back into your life. Start slow and don’t feel overwhelmed. Trust the process and find your breakthrough.