Feeling Stuck? How to Bounce Back After Being in a Rut

Ruts are normal. It happens to all of us. They're no fun, but they come with the potential to bounce back and feel better than ever.

Ruts can come from being in autopilot. Living everyday the same, doing things because you have to, not because you want to. Routines are great, but lack of excitement for those routines causes us to feel stuck.

Are you wondering if you might be in a rut? Ruts can look like having no motivation, no energy, and wanting time to pass by without living it. If this is you, that's okay! It can feel hard to get "unstuck", but there's small steps you can take to make it better.

So, here's the ultimate checklist of how to get unstuck and bounce back from a rut. Take it day by day, and use these steps to help you get your motivation and excitement for life back!

1. Evaluate Your Situation and Feelings

The first thing you need to do is look at your situation. Think about why you feel the way you feel. Did something happen? Do you just feel burnt out?

It's important to recognize that you're in a rut, and that you need to take the steps to change something. You need to be taking care of yourself, and the first step is to figure out why this could be happening, to fix the problem!

2. Practice Gratitude

When you're in a rut, it's easy to think everything has gone wrong. You don't often think about the things that are good, just what's going wrong. It's SO important to change this.

You need to think about all of the good things you have, because no matter how bad you feel, there's things to be grateful for. Find little things you are grateful to have, like a warm bed, the ability to walk, shoes to put on your feet, access to food, anything.

If you're having a hard time at first and need some help, look into gratitude journals or gratitude journal prompts. You need to focus more on the good, and less on the bad. Because, no matter how hard it is to see, there is always something to be grateful for.

3. Change Something in Your Routine

Sometimes the reason for burnout/ a rut is following the same exact routine every day, and getting tired of it. We lose the excitement and energy for our daily tasks. So for this step, get out of auto-pilot.

You don't have to do something extreme to change your routine. Change the route you take to work. Change up your coffee recipe so you have something to look forward in the morning. Find something simple and easy, and do it!

It's important to do things with intentions, not just because it's what you're used to. In my opinion, this is the most beneficial step to getting out of a rut. Changing your routine every once in awhile is crucial to avoiding burnout.

4. Move Your Body!!!

I know it probably seems like the hardest thing to do right now... but what they say about exercise is true. It makes you feel so much better.

There's actual science on how exercise helps your mental health- and yes, a rut falls into that category. Now, I'm not telling you you need to immediately get into a gym routine or plan to run a marathon, but take small steps to get more movement in!

Try to find something you truly enjoy. Yoga, pickle-ball, dancing, even just start by taking walks around your block! I swear this step truly does help you feel better about things.

5. Set New Goals and Things to Look Forward to

When you're in a rut, the motivation is low, and mostly non-existent. In this step, it's time to get your motivation back. Start by creating small, realistic goals, that get you excited.

These don't have to be professional or physical, like they often are. Instead, maybe you decide you want to read 2 books by the end of the month. Or maybe you want to perfect a new recipe. Whatever it is, make sure it's something you'll enjoy and be excited to do!

With this, it can also be helpful to plan things that you'll be looking forward to. Plan a weekend getaway, coffee date with a friend, or go see a movie next week! Keep planning things to look forward to, one after the next, and you'll feel a little more excited every day.

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If you're in a rut, that's okay! That's normal! But, it's important to recognize and to take the steps to change it. Try all of these things, with intentions to feel better, and I know you will! You've got this! <3