You’re not alone if you feel like your life is at a stand-still. In fact, feeling stuck in a rut can happen to anyone at any time, and for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s just because of our same, boring old routines. We all experience periods where nothing seems new or interesting enough to break out of our regular schedule.
Other times, people get so caught up with school, work, or kids, that they don’t seem to have the mental space left over for anything else. It could also be due to family issues such as divorce or death, which leave us drained emotionally without even realizing how much stress has been piling on top.
Then suddenly everything comes crashing down around us too fast and leaves no room for truly being us anymore.
If you’re feeling stuck in life, it’s time to take a deep breath and focus in. Sometimes we lose sight of what excites us because these moments are less frequent than they used to be; but this can make them more exciting when they do come up again. We often get so caught up with the day-to-day tasks that sometimes all our creativity gets lost along the way too! Whether you need some fresh perspective or just want help from people who care about where their future is headed, now might be an opportune moment for reflection – not stagnation.
We all get bored with our routine, and before long it’s hard to find the motivation or energy for anything. There are certain signs that you’re in a rut, including feeling unmotivated about your work, not enjoying what you do as much, and not having time to yourself. Here are some ways on recognizing when this is happening so that you can start to motivate yourself again!
Recognizing the Signs You’re Stuck in a Rut
Sometimes it takes a while for you to notice that something is wrong. You might be feeling “stuck” and not realize until these feelings start building up day after day, sometimes gradually over time, or within just weeks of being in the same routine with no change. Does any of the following sound like what you’re going through?
Every day feels like the same one. Is it Tuesday or Thursday? It doesn’t really matter because every single moment seems so interchangeable with another. You just let yourself exist in your own little world without any sense of urgency for anything at all.
You’re just trying to get through another day. You’re not feeling excited or inspired, and you don’t really care about anything anymore. You’ve lost interest in life because it’s too much work. The problem isn’t anything big or dramatic, but it is just enough to make you feel stressed and frustrated with everything you do day after day.
You feel unmotivated. Procrastination is often a symptom of being unmotivated. It’s hard to get started on something when it feels like it would be a waste of time. You might feel unmotivated because you’re bored with what you’re doing, or because you don’t think you can get what you want.
You feel unfulfilled. You have a strong sense that something is missing in your life but you can’t quite put your finger on it.
You want to change, but you are afraid of change. You fear the temporary discomfort that comes with change. You know it will make you happier in the long run, but you keep sticking to your old ways because there’s no risk of pain or failure if you never try anything new.
Finding the Source of Your Rut
There are so many ways to get out of a rut, but you might not know where to start. One thing that will help as your first step is figuring out what kind of “rut” it is – whether work-related or personal in nature. It’s important for the next steps to be tailored specifically towards whatever has caused this discontentment and unhappiness with life. To do this, reaching out for some professional guidance can really make all the difference!
You might also be feeling a lack of motivation when it comes to your romantic life, your family, or with your health.
If you notice that your emotions are out of proportion to the situation, take a step back and think about why. It might be hard for some people at first because they want to devalue their feelings as not being worth caring about. But my love, you are so damn important!
If negative thoughts or self-criticism is affecting how you feel in any way, then it’s important to stop yourself NOW before things escalate too far beyond what reality dictates them as feeling like.
Getting Out of a Rut
Now that you have a better understanding of how you’re feeling, it’s time to get unstuck. To get out of a rut, you have to find ways of rekindling your motivation and reigniting the passion that made you love the things you used to do.
Recognize the need for self-care
This may be a bit of an understatement, but I know that when you feel stuck in a rut it can seem like the world is against you. It’s time to take control and do something about your feelings by mentally taking care of yourself with self-compassion.
Start with a quick assessment on how much self-care you have been doing lately? It’s easy for us all to neglect ourselves when we’re feeling down or anxious, but this just prolongs the problem because without nurturing our minds and bodies they will never heal themselves.
You’ve been neglecting yourself, haven’t you? Everyone else’s needs come before yours, right? You need to come back to your senses. Come back to yourself. We all carry some form of burden in our lives that we have the opportunity and ability to pick up or leave behind at any time; but self-care is essential for us as humans not only because this will allow ourselves more freedom from these burdens, but also so that we can be able to show up and be there for others.
You’re carrying weight on your shoulders like nobody else sees – yet here I am telling you what they already know: take care of yourself first before taking care of anyone else around you.
If you’re like many, it’s easy to get distracted from self-care. We can’t control everything in life that harms us – but we have the power to take care of ourselves! Start small with healthy food or daily exercise and work your way up until you find what works for YOU. The benefits will be worth every minute spent on yourself: more energy, healthier body, better moods…
The effects of good health are well documented: a happy mind and a fit body makes all other aspects seem possible because they become achievable while improving quality of living overall. Remember how great it feels to feel at peace? Do something today that keeps this feeling alive so tomorrow is even brighter than before!
Change Your Routines
There are many inescapable routines that we encounter every day. The same commute, the same dishes, and the list goes on! This can lead to boredom which may cause you to feel stuck or stagnant.
One of the most effective ways to change your routine is to think about when times you were unmotivated but found the resources to do something. Think about what you did and what led you to do it. For me, one big motivator is always reading and watching different things on YouTube. I might be unmotivated with my work or my home life, but as soon as I’m browsing through Youtube on an uplifting topic, I usually find myself getting motivated with my other tasks again.
Find something that works for you, whether that’s finding a creative outlet or getting started on some projects right away. You can’t just wait around for motivation to strike – make yourself take action! The rewards will come in time if you keep at it.
To break free from this cycle of monotony do something different each day – try out these ideas:
Be spontaneous. There is a way to beat boredom. It’s called living in the moment and saying yes to new experiences, even if they’re unexpected! In life there will always be times where you get stuck in routine and safety becomes more important than anything else; but that doesn’t mean we should let ourselves stay like this forever, because eventually things become unbearable without any stimulus or excitement factor coming into play at all. This is why everyone needs to remember how great spontaneity can feel when done right, which means giving oneself permission every now-and-then to take a break from the old, unmotivated routine.
Take risks. The way we think affects our decisions – often if we perceive things as risky then we tend to avoid them. One way to get unmotivated is by holding yourself back in life, particularly in your career. Think big and give yourself permission to take risks if it means living a more interesting life – the worst that can happen is you fail, but at least you tried and can pick yourself up and do it even better!
Change your social circle. We’re affected by those around us, so if you surround yourself with unmotivated people then it will inevitably rub off on you. Some of your friends might not even realize that you want to change your life – we often don’t know what we want until it’s right in front of us.
Change your reading material. What you read affects how you think – for example, if you’re exposed to unmotivated people in the news or on TV then it’s hard not to get unmotivated by their negativity about life and politics. Also, if you’ve been getting unmotivated by the same old books you’ve read since high school, then pick up something fresh. If you don’t currently read books..you need to start! Seriously, its such a powerful life hack…it’s sex for your MIND!
Change your expectations. Sometimes we expect too much from others and get unmotivated when they don’t live up to our standards. Another example is if we are unmotivated because we expect certain things out of ourselves. Maybe you expected to have a successful career, but now that you’re in your 30s and it’s not happening at the pace you want, you’re unmotivated. In both scenarios, it’s important to lower your expectations and take a step back in order to move forward – don’t let yourself get unmotivated!
Be in Nature
Getting outside and enjoying the fresh air will boost your spirits. If you’ve had a long week of work, don’t sit on your couch all weekend. Instead, get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
You’ll feel more motivated to face the week ahead. Go for a nature walk. Take your dog out for a nice run in the park. Get away from technology, and invest time into improving yourself.
After finding that being in nature has a positive impact on the brain, researchers are considering implementing green spaces and parks into mental health care. They also found that walking outside reduced self-referential rumination which can increase the risk of depression or anxiety disorders like PTSD.
Researchers have discovered that being in nature has a positive effect on your mood as well as cognitive performance! To make sure you’re getting enough time outdoors, start implementing a small walk in your routine.
Find Your Purpose
You can’t live a fulfilling life without ambition and goals. Having something to work towards is the most important ingredient for feeling motivated, because you’ll be able to see yourself progressing on your path toward achieving that goal. For instance, career-related or romantic aspirations will give you purpose in what might otherwise feel like an aimless existence where nothing really changes.
Even if you aren’t clear about what you want to do with your life, the very fact of having aspirations that are higher than what you have now will make it easier for you to push yourself toward self-improvement.
Imagine waking up every day with a sense of purpose, knowing that you’re using your life to make the world better. This is what it means to find one’s true “purpose.”
Finding your purpose is a tool for better, happier and healthier life that too few people attempt to use. The right path can be found through practice, self-discovery and intuition – not just blindly following what somebody else tells you.
Too many people are settling into careers they don’t want or need in order to make ends meet without finding their true passion first; this leads them down an unhappy road of unfulfilled potential where the only thing missing is themselves.
Here are some ways to give yourself something to look forward to:
Make a list of all the things you enjoy. Decide if any of those things make you feel fulfilled. It’s important to self reflect in order find out what drives and motivates you. Maybe your current job doesn’t really get you going, and what would satisfy you is working towards a certain goal every day. Or maybe you are happier when you’re helping other people.
Donate Time, Money, or Talent. If there’s just one habit that will help you find your purpose, it would be to help others. Not only does helping others give back what they deserve and show them kindness in their darkest hours; but by adding meaning into the lives of those who are most vulnerable we can start our journey towards discovering ourselves again.
Helping people gives us a sense of fulfillment when we see how grateful these individuals are for the little things like food or conversation. Furthermore, as humans, doing good deeds is something natural to do regardless if someone has lost everything–it’s instinctive in nature yet often neglected because many don’t know where begin. Next time you notice that your services can be utilized, jump on the opportunity to serve someone.
Listen to Feedback. Think about what someone who truly knows you – your parents or best friend, would say. Would they agree that you’re on the right track? Is this path making you feel fulfilled? Sometimes telling a trusted person how you really feel can help.
Sometimes, it can be hard to determine what you are passionate about. After all, many people do a variety of different things and the ones they love might have become so ingrained in their lives that they don’t realize how important these extracurriculars may be. Fortunately for those confused souls out there who would like some insight into this dilemma, others around them are often able to give some idea as to which one is most likely something special just waiting for someone new with fresh eyes!
Practice Self-Discipline
One of the hardest self-improvement processes to tackle is self-discipline. It’s hard not to get distracted and procrastinate, but self-discipline will be essential for achieving your goals.
The first step is figuring out what your self-discipline goals are – for some people this means finishing their degree, getting one hundred pull ups in a row, waking up at 5am every day; while for others it may come down to smaller things like going for a run or reading more.
Once you’ve decided on the self-discipline goal, you need to break it down into manageable chunks with concrete deadlines – for example if your self-discipline goal is “wake up at 6am every day” try setting a self-discipline target of “wake up at 6am for the next week Monday to Friday.”
Self-discipline requires willpower. Willpower is a self-discipline muscle that you can build up by exercising it. And the way to exercise willpower is through practice and self-control.
Stop Chasing Perfection
You might feel like you’re never good enough. It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of perfectionism, and that can be a recipe for disaster.
You often find yourself fixating on tiny details or feeling as if anything less than perfect is failure, so it’s important not to let these thoughts become your reality! One way you could start improving this situation would be by recognizing when your “perfect” expectations are unrealistic – then remind yourself that they don’t have to define how successful you will ultimately be.
There’s obviously a line between healthy self-criticism and self-injury, so it’s important to be vigilant about self-doubt. That doesn’t mean you should ignore feedback or feel like other people are judging you, but it does mean that you need to stay focused on your goals and be confident in yourself!
Instead of constantly self-assessing and being self-critical, you might be better off by asking yourself whether your expectations are realistic. It’s so easy to get caught up in self-defeating thinking patterns, but what would happen if you tried a different approach?
Perhaps it’s time for an attitude adjustment, because perfectionism is exhausting!
Breaking a rut can feel like an impossible task. But as long as you put in the effort, there are small ways to make your day-to-day life more exciting again! You don’t have to jump out of planes or go skydiving if that sounds too daunting for now; instead just take on some new tasks and hobbies – it’s amazing how much this little change will boost your mood. If things get tough though, never forget about depression: It might be worth talking with someone special about what you’re going through before they become overwhelming feelings which could turn into something more serious.
Either way, YOU GOT THIS!!!
