How To Get Out Of A Rut Fast!
You’ve been going along very nicely, everything is just happening with ease, your health, your work, your social life, you’ve even exercised! Then without warning it’s gone….Literally gone, like someone clicked their fingers and instantly removed your drive and motivation.
Ever felt this?
I sure have, and as a life coach I see this all the time with clients too.
Then what happens?
Suddenly everything that felt so easy before feels complicated, hard and unnecessary. So you put it off, put off doing the work on your business, it won’t matter if you skip a day will it?! But a day turns into a week, and as you know how you do one thing is how you do everything.
So no doubt you’ve stopped putting effort into yourself, the exercise routine has ground to a halt, you’re skipping meals, or eating foods you know you shouldn’t because it’s easy, life has become an uphill battle.
You’re in a rut, again. It happens, it’s like a cycle, periods of great motivation and momentum followed by a crash back into the dreaded rut.
You’re dedication to self improvement wasn’t meant to be like this…
How do you get out of it, and back to flowing with ease?
I’m going to share four things you can do to get back into a positive mindset, and get back on track quickly.
***But before I do just a quick disclaimer - if you feel, or are, suffering from depression then by all means take in the information, but do seek professional medical help too***
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How I do it -
Rephrase it to yourself, so instead of I’m stuck in a rut, you could instead choose to say “I’m currently not at my most motivated, I choose to accept that for what it is and focus on what I can do right now”.
This sounds simple (partly because it is), but when we state something as fact to ourselves it gets held as a belief, a way of being, and your body will act accordingly. It shuts down decision making, and sends your attention (and energy) into the problem. So what’s likely to grow - the feeling of being stuck, or the solution to get moving again?
Simplify things, often when we get pulled into a rut everything can feel like an effort. So what can you do to break things down even further so they become easy, small steps?
Eg exercise, instead of an hour gym workout, go for a 15-20 minute walk around where you live - it takes less effort, still brings great benefit (including breaking your state) and starts to reset the path to momentum.
I look at my physical body setup, am I still hydrating properly, am I rested/sleeping enough, am I eating a good diet conducive to performing well (as opposed to carb heavy = spike blood sugar levels and make you sleepy & unmotivated)
Next check in with your goals, what are they? Why do you want to achieve that (think beyond the money, or body shape, or relationship) how will it make you feel to have it? Is the timeframe realistic?
Meditate - create some quiet space in your head, reconnect back in with yourself.
Straight after meditation get your journal out -
Ask yourself -
Why am I in a rut?
How am I choosing to feel about being in this situation?
What am I trying to avoid? Is there a fear going on deep down (failure, judgment, disapproval, not ready/not good enough)
What small action can I take that will help me feel I’m back in control?
What do I enjoy to do that puts fun & enjoyment back into my life? - go and do it!!
I cannot stress that last point enough - what do you do, or what did you used to like to do that puts you in flow, sparks that fun, excited energy back? It may seem counter productive to move away from your laptop, but trust me the time spent enjoying yourself will reap huge dividends.
I’ve been an NLP practitioner since 2016 and seen this work with so many clients.
There are a lot of lessons to take from being in a rut, as long as you build the awareness of looking for them, keep honing that growth mindset (actively looking for the lessons that will promote personal development and growth in you)and asking yourself the deeper questions to open up the truth of what’s going on for you - remember to view thoughts as an observer during this process.
It’s likely you’ll get some uncomfortable thoughts, don’t attach emotion to anything you see come up, it only means something if you choose it to be true. Do not put labels on these thoughts, or attribute any beliefs to them. Remain objective about why you’re in this position and you’ll get some truly powerful answers.