How do you dig yourself out of a rut?

Try accomplishing something that you love, always wanted to do, and is very challenging to you, even if seemingly small. That sense of accomplishment will most likely spark something within you and/or make you feel good about yourself. I went through a very similar stagnant period myself this year, but I did 3 things on my life list, and though I’m not completely out of the rut, I feel so much better about myself.

Bad habits can only be replaced, not changed.

Time to replace the time spent being lazy or feeling lazy with something that makes you feel productive and useful again.

Make the smallest possible change that you can comfortably handle. If your goal is to start working out, then spend a week (or however long) just driving by the gym. When that becomes comfortable, move on to parking in the parking lot for 5 minutes, and so on. Figure out what changes you want to make and proceed in a similar manner. Only take on what is comfortable. Your inertia will get you back in the game sooner than you think.

Take some (reasonable) risks, change things up. Something as simple as a new hairstyle can really change your attitude (just like the Patti LaBelle song!) Call up a friend and have a day or evening out. Coffee and conversation could bring about some great ideas. Plenty of people get into ruts, why not get out of it with some company?

I’ll be following this question avidly. Good ideas so far!

Find some projects at this site and enjoy.

When I feel life isn’t going my way, I go to work. Work burns energy, makes me money (which I can always use more of) and challenges me to “put on the face” and be productive for others instead of sulking inside myself which I know I would do left to myself.

Why do you call what you’re doing being “in a rut?” Why do you judge yourself so harshly? Or is it others that are judging you and you believe them?

Lives are to be enjoyed. I mean, life is an incredible gift, so why not enjoy it? Some people may believe that the meaning of life is something that obligates us to be “productive” in some way that is different from how we are. But how can you know if what you are doing is really being in a rut, or whether it will turn out to be useful to you in the future.

Can time be wasted? Only if you aren’t paying attention, I think. If you wish you were doing something other than you are doing, then who are you? Pay attention to what you are doing, and you won’t have time to wish you were doing something else.

So my answer to your “rut” problem is that you should pay attention. Do what you do. Stop judging it. Just participate fully in it. If you are stagnant, destructive and lazy, then do it well. Really be in your stagnance, your destructiveness and your laziness. Don’t beat yourself up for it. Just do it. Trust me. One thing will lead to another, and you’ll find yourself doing things you care about, even if it’s just what you were doing before. Only this time, you’ll be fully in it, not watching and judging.