Lately, I have been feeling like I am stuck in a rut.
Do you ever feel that way?
I feel like my routine is the same. I get up every day and do pretty much the same thing. It seems like there is not much fun or excitement in my life. Everything is the same and this has me feeling down, well actually it has me feeling like I am stuck in a rut.
I have been trying to pinpoint why I feel this way and I came up with the answer. I have been multi-tasking and going at lightning-fast speed accomplishing projects and building my business. I have been socializing more and reconnecting with old friends. I even took a mini vacation to New York and went out of town for the weekend in Florida. It was just far enough from home that I felt like I was truly away. I am crossing off items on my various to-do lists and completing what I set out to accomplish. While this is wonderful, it has also caused me to feel this lull in activity because things are getting done. This feeling is compounded when I do not have or make social plans. So, here I am with not much to work on and not much to do. You just can’t win. If you work too much, you fall into a rut. If you have a lull, you fall into a rut.
How do I get myself unstuck?
I do not like feeling like I am in a lull or being unproductive. I love having things to do and thrive on having many to-do lists. I love the feeling of crossing off an item that has been accomplished. I feel such success and satisfaction and I get energized.
On the flip side, when I have less to do, I feel like I am stuck in a rut. I feel like I have fallen into a routine and cannot get myself out of it.
Is this just me, or can anyone else relate? I was thinking about ways to get myself unstuck and this is what I came up with:
- Celebrate my accomplishments. I did the hard work, and I deserve the success.
- Be grateful for the achievements.
- Recognize that I do not always have to be doing something.
- Allow for relaxation and down time and not feel guilty.
- Shake things up.
- Get out of my comfort zone.
- Try a new activity.
- Get out into nature.
- Reach out to an old friend and see what they are up to. A funny and true story. I was thinking about reaching out to a friend early one morning, but I got distracted. Not three hours later, I got a text from her asking if I wanted to go to a concert.
- Find some new tasks to accomplish.
Having gratitude
In addition to my list above, whenever I feel stuck in a rut, I start to think about gratitude. I have so much to be grateful for. I have a body that can function. I have a brain that allows me to think and create. I have family and friends who adore me, champion my successes, and push me to go further.
Gratitude is such a powerful emotion. When you are in a rut, it’s good for getting yourself unstuck. It is also good to access gratitude when you are feeling many other negative emotions such as sadness, grief, hopelessness, anger, or fear, among so many other emotions.
Gratitude allows you to center yourself so that you can move forward and move out of the rut.
I have gotten unstuck. What about you? Are you stuck in a rut?
