10 Ways To Get Yourself Out Of A Rut

School/work is hard enough - let alone being in a global pandemic.

Now more than ever we are seeing people struggling to find the motivation to keep their heads up with all of the uncertainty going around.

I’m going to outline below, some key indicators that you’re in a rut and what you can do to get yourself out of it!

Recognising you’re in a rut

If you’re not sure if you’re in a rut, here’s some indicators that may suggest you are: 

1. Lack of motivation

If you find yourself constantly slapping the snooze button, unable to bring yourself to get out of bed or you are struggling to motivate yourself to persevere through a day of work (in class, at home, etc.) – this is a key sign that you’re probably in a rut.

Obviously, there are exceptions to this. You may just be tired, dehydrated or a number of other easily fixed reasons, but if this lack of motivation is persistent, you may need to change more than the playlist you’re listening to.

2. Persistent feeling of dread/feeling sorry for yourself

Let’s face it. We’ve all been there. Sat watching TV on a Sunday night and suddenly thinking of the work you're going to do and the people you're going to have to face at school/work.

Don't despair, it’s a common feeling that most of us feel. However, if this is starting to affect your mood and you can’t seem to turn off and enjoy what you’re doing in your downtime (weekends, etc.) then guess what. Probs in a rut.

3. All days seem to merge into one

The saying ‘time flies by when you’re having fun’ springs to mind. However, if you feel like the work you’re doing is so monotonous that it seems like you’re reliving the same day over and over again – you need to think about making a change.

Obviously school is a bit different because you can't just not go in - just try to mix things up before and/or after school.

Getting yourself out of the rut

Fortunately for you, I have 10 great tips that you can work through to get yourself back to normal. You’ll need to keep at this… it may get boring but with enough persistence, it will do the job.

1. Recognise you’re in a rut

This is probably the most obvious but you can’t make changes to a problem that you don’t think is there.

The first step to getting out of your rut is to recognise that you’re in a rut in the first place. You can then desperately scour the web for a fantastic post like this one and follow the next tips to sort it out.

2. Set yourself a goal and work towards it

If you’re not confident in setting yourself a goal or you’re just not sure about the best way to go about it – just follow some simple guidelines:

Make the goal SMART:

• Specific - you know exactly what you're trying to achieve;
• Measurable - you can track your progression towards it;
• Achievable - something that you have the resources to complete;
• Realistic - you're not spreading yourself too thin; and
• Time-bound - you give yourself a deadline.

Setting yourself a goal helps to keep your mind off of the rut and gets you working towards something you want to achieve.

Half of the issue with getting out of the rut is continuously thinking about being in it. That’s doing more harm than good and keeps you down for longer.

3. Look for the little victories

These don’t have to be world changing victories but simply the smaller, everyday ones. You managed to make a packed lunch for the week without having to buy food at the shops? Celebrate hun x

The little victories should be celebrated. Without them, the ultimate victories (such as getting out of the rut) are not possible.

4. Exercise!

Not only is losing weight linked to living longer, but it improves our sense of confidence and in turn our feeling of self-worth.

Obviously, as we are all equally human – self-worth should also be equal but in our heads, this is not the case. Let’s face it – if you had absolutely no self-confidence issues, you’d never get into a rut.

You don’t need to train for the Olympics but going for a run a couple times a week or hitting 10,000 steps per day can do the world of good.

5. Talk to people

If you’re an awkward person or introverted, you might find this one tricky to do. However, once you manage to get over the stigma of opening up – it will make you feel less alone in this struggle.

Probably not the best idea to stop someone randomly in the street to let them know you’re having problems.

However, if you’re lucky enough to have a girlfriend (or boyfriend) who you can confide in, that’s perfect! Close friends and family are (usually) equally supportive and will be happy to listen to your problems if you decide you need to off-load to someone.

6. Accept you’re not perfect

You may want to be sitting down for this when I tell you this… you’re not perfect.

However, the great news is – that makes you the same as the other 7ish billion people that also occupy this flat planet.

Appreciating that you’re not perfect and that everyone has down days is a great way to start getting back to your normal self.

7. Sleep like your life depended on it

Sleep, the single most important thing for your mental health – just before exercise.

Adults are recommended to have ATLEAST 7 hours of sleep and up to 9 hours of sleep each and every night.

This is critical to maintaining a good level of mental clarity and of course, will have a knock-on effect on how quickly you can get yourself out of the dumps.

8. Read a new book

If you don’t read a book, then picking one up would be a good place to start. However if you’re an avid reader, try reading something different.

This will help to shake up a small part of your day and encourage you to look at things a bit differently (may be a bit of a far fetch but it works!).

I personally like the boring informational books, so for me, I would just try looking at something other than finance. This will give me a great break from what I do as a day job and help give me clarity that numbers are not the be all and end all.

9. Have a break, have a Kit Kat

Honestly, a Kit Kat helps make everything better. More importantly, giving yourself some ‘you’ time allows you some time to separate yourself from normality and lets you gain a bit more clarity on your mental headspace.

I like to meditate – I’m one of the few people who meditate and DON’T speak about it all the time…

Meditating is not compulsory but definitely helps.

10. Finally, try to change your point of view

I was watching a Tony Robbins documentary on Netflix and one of the things he said to his audience really resonated with me.

He said ‘the moment you realise that life is happening FOR you and not TO you – that’s the moment your perspective on life will change’.

Your best weapon to use against this rut is a positive attitude. An example of this would be, if you just miss your train you might think – typical, this always happens to me.

But you don’t stop to consider the little differences that might happen on your commute as a result – you might see a new friendly face or you might find the next train is a little less busy.

It’s ultimately about finding the silver lining in all of your situations that is going to change your life and get you out of that rut, of course…