10 SIGNS YOU ARE STUCK IN A RUT

…AND HOW TO GET OUT OF IT

4 MINUTE READ

You ever have one of those days where you just want to cry? No real reason, it’s just there. It’s like you are walking around just waiting for that other shoe to drop. You are stuck in that negative thinking. By being stuck in the negative, you are actually attracting more of the negative without even knowing it. It is completely normal to have days like this, it happens to the best of us.

The thing is, you aren’t going to feel your best every single day of the year, and that’s OK. It is when you continually find yourself feeling like you’re not moving forward and nothing is going right, it can be mentally exhausting.

Sometimes it’s a matter of changing something small. Switching up a goal or routine. Sometimes it’s a little bigger and requires a lifestyle change. Regardless of what it is, take a look at the 10 signs you’re stuck in a rut and see if any of these resonate with you.

10 SIGNS YOU’RE IN A RUT

1: YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE YOURSELF

You don’t know what you feel like, but you know that it isn’t you. Maybe you feel annoyed and frustrated with yourself, maybe even sad. Something feels off but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

2: YOU DON’T HAVE ANY DRIVE

You could get up and do that thing you’re supposed to do, or you could stay right where you are. You are lacking the basic motivation and momentum to get mundane tasks done.

3: YOU’RE AVOIDING TASKS/JUST MEETING THE MINIMUM

Your to-do list is getting longer and longer but you are not getting closer to finishing it. Or, you are just getting the bare minimum finished, but nothing more.

4: YOU’RE SEARCHING FOR A “WHY?”

Why are you feeling this way? Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why did you choose this path? What is the point?

5: YOU’RE LACKING CREATIVITY

Whether it is deciding what to make for dinner or what your next blog post is going to be, you cannot for the life of you come up with anything. You feel completely drained of ideas.

6: YOU’RE BORED

The path you are on no longer excites you. You are just going through the motions. You feel stuck and like nothing exciting is happening at all. Nothing appeals to you.

7. YOU’RE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME THINGS

Repeatedly you find yourself annoyed with or complaining about the same things. They continue to bother you and you can’t seem to shake them. It seems like you’re just running the same rant over on repeat.

8: NOTHING EXCITES YOU

You no longer feel joy about starting new tasks or creating new goals. You don’t feel like there is anything to look forward to. Even if things are evolving and changing, you are fixated on what is bringing you down.

9: YOU WITHDRAW FROM PEOPLE AND ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE

You may not feel like seeing friends and family as you normally do. You also may not be participating in regular activities you normally enjoy. You may find yourself making excuses to avoid these things or people.

10: YOU AREN’T UP FOR TRYING ANYTHING NEW

You keep the same routine and give up looking for anything new. You aren’t actively seeking out trying new things or alternatives. The thought of taking on a new path seems more like a chore than a welcomed challenge.

CHECK IN

Did any of that resonate with you? Did you feel like any of those 10 signs applied to you? If you feel like you are stagnated, unmotivated or downright bored with what you are doing, there’s a very good chance you could be stuck in a rut.

Now, the best way to get over being in a rut is to get out of it! Below you will find a list of tips and tricks you can use to pull yourself out of being in a rut and start to feel more like yourself again.

HOW TO GET OUT OF A RUT

ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE IN A RUT

Acknowledging you are stuck in a rut is the first step to putting a name to the feeling you have been having. It is important to make yourself emotionally aware of your feelings. Checking in with yourself and realizing you are stuck in a rut is the first step to being able to overcome it.

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Clean up a space you frequent. Rearrange your workspace. Take a walk. Resetting yourself starts with changing your environment. You may just need a new workspace, a cleaner area, or to visualize a different scene to pull yourself out.

TAKE A BREAK

You may just need a day to be able to reset yourself. Or maybe just an afternoon. Take a nap, read a book, go outside etc. Give yourself and your body a chance to have a break from the source of what is causing the distress. Even sleeping on it overnight can be enough to change your mindset.

START SMALL

Have a molehill of things that need to be tackled, but don’t have the motivation. Start small. Sometimes you may surprise yourself and continue to collect momentum as you go. It can be as simple as getting a few small tasks done to be the motivation you need!

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED

Sit down and write down a list of the exact reasons why you started. Do this until you start to feel some of that spark return. Become re-excited with the process you originally fell in love with.

RE-FRAME YOUR GOALS

Perhaps your current goals are too challenging or not challenging enough. Re-frame your goals to better suit your needs, lifestyle, and current situation. Remember, our goals need to change and grow with us. The plan in which we use to change our goals must change as we continue the journey to our goals!

WITH THIS IS MIND…

Feeling like you’re stuck in a rut isn’t a great feeling, but you don’t need to wallow and stay in that rut. Acknowledge that you’re in it and begin the steps to pull yourself back out of it! Let me know your top tips for pulling yourself out of a rut!