Stuck in a Rut? Try This.

In the 1993 film Groundhog Day, journalist Phill Conners finds himself stuck in a time loop in which he has to relive the same day over and over again. While none of us will ever have that kind of experience in a literal sense, a lot of us feel like every day is the same - especially over these last three years. Not to mention, it could be argued the haywire of current events has affected the collective brain fog of us all.

If you’ve been battling with feeling unmotivated or unfulfilled, you definitely aren’t alone. Here are some tricks we found work well for us when we’re feeling trapped in a rut.

Accept and Examine The Rut

For many of us, our first response to being in a rut is to fight it. We scold ourselves for feeling the way we do and try to stuff those feelings down. But getting into a rut is perfectly natural, and we almost all face it at some point in our lives. Accepting where we are will allow us to do something about it.

When we have accepted your rut, we can take the time to decide what has caused it. Every person and situation is different, but these are a few common causes of ruts:

• Being in situations that you can’t control

• Transitional time periods

• Balancing stressors for a long time

• Dissatisfaction with your relationship’s progress

• Dissatisfaction with your job’s progress

In some cases, dysthymia—a close cousin of depression—can also be the cause of your rut. If you’ve been battling these feelings for a long time, consider seeking outside support for it.

Do Some Soul-Searching

Another common cause of feeling like we’re in a rut is being unable to achieve our goals, leaving us feeling unfulfilled. Because of that, one thing we can do when you’re feeling stuck in a rut is to reexamine our current goals or aspirations.

Sometimes we make a goal at a certain time in our life, but as life goes on, we either outgrow our old ambitions or get disheartened by our inability to reach them. In that case, it’s good to reassess our goals. Giving yourself something more aligned with where you are in your life or that is easier to work toward from where you are can make a world of difference - and can lead to more positive outcomes for your entire life.

Take Care of Yourself

As we mentioned, recurring stress can lead a person to feel burned out and overwhelmed. In that case, the “rut” feelings may be from our need for self-care. Altering our routine in little ways to promote this kind of care may be just the shift we need.

For instance, allow a few minutes in the morning for meditation or prayer, or consider joining a gym or taking up an active hobby. These things will leave your body and mind reset to some extent.

Make Little Changes

We can’t always change all our life circumstances when we’re in a rut. But we can try to exercise our agency on what we can change. These things don’t have to be major. For example, livening up your home’s look, introducing multivitamins, adding a brief walk to your day, or changing up the wardrobe can be a helpful change of pace.