Ideas to Get Out of a Rut

All of us experience the seasons of life. When we experience long-term or short-term difficulty, here are a few tips to get your energy flowing in a positive directions. When you feel like a “winter” day or season is approaching, here are a few tips to get your energy and mindset flowing in the right direction.

For the times where we feel that we are in a minor rut or are experiencing what we may perceive as superficial annoyances …

·     Focus on Others - Sometimes all we need to change our mood or direction is to shift our focus form ourselves to others. Seek out opportunities to help a person or group that may be in need.

·     Exercise - Unplug, detach and break a sweat. Exercising for 20-60 minutes will raise endorphins which can lead to clearer thinking.

·     Meditate – We become what we think about. Take at least 10 minutes, use a guided meditation soundbite on YouTube and use mindfulness to try and regain some distance between stimuli in our life and how we react to it.          

·     Mindful Food Choices – Don’t run for the sugary comfort foods that are so easy to grab and enjoyable to eat. In the long run they will only make matters worse.

 For the times when we feel like our problems are deeper than annoyances…

·     Acknowledge there is a Problem - Sounds simple enough, but at times people deny there is a problem while continuing to hope that things will get easier. Don’t wish for easier, wish for better skills.

·     Search for Tour Guides - Talk to people that have had the same problems that you do. This will take courage, but talking with people that have traveled down the road you need to travel can help you lay out a path.

·     Brick by Brick - Organize small steps to improve your problem. Have small achievable goals that build upon each other.

·     Narrow Your Focus - Fix one problem at a time. Do not try to solve all of your problems at once. Prioritize and follow your plan.

·     Finish Today - People tend to stall in a project because of a need for perfection. Prioritize what need to get done now and what needs to get done perfectly. In most cases, finishing today is better than trying to finish perfectly for next week. Completing projects will also decrease stress levels.