September 13, 2007
Is Your Life Stuck In A Rut – 10 Ways Out
No matter how motivated, driven or aligned we are, everyone of us goes through a period in our life when we are stuck in a rut.
Here are some of the sure signs your life is stalled:
- Your energy drops dramatically
- You suddenly become undecided, confused as to your next step
- Now, playing the game becomes more important than achieving results
- Seemingly overnight you are gaining weight, not sleeping and generally in ill health
- And the biggy…you stop dreaming about what is possible barely able to make it through what "is"
It can happen without warning to the most optimistic of people.
From the pages of "Achieving Extreme Greatness" – When your life gets stuck in a rut, here are 10 things you can do to help break the habit…
- Convince yourself it will pass. When you are in a rut it seems that you will never break free, by recognizing that this is simply a phase you are going through, a period that you can change so take the pressure off and change will come faster
- Exercise. Even though times like this make any sort of physical exercise even more challenging, you must break free and focus on at least low-grade exercise such as a walk, jog or swim
- Get social. We tend to become withdrawn in the low points of our life, a better approach is to join a new sport, hobby, fitness class, support group or other social activity where you can be with others
- Change your diet. We tend to become self-destructive in times of trouble within our lives – eating too much sugar and carbohydrates, escaping reality with alcohol and stimulants – by breaking these bad habits we can build momentum that will break out of our rut
- Change your routine. Being stuck in a rut is really succumbing to a pattern of bad habits – by breaking your routine, just one step toward change can get the ball rolling
- Baby steps. Our tendancy is to wait for some major life event to break us out of our rut when the best way to quickly escape this hell-like, self-imposed prison is to take small steps each day toward improving our life
- Change your company. There are times in my life where I was kept in a rut largely by the negative energy of the people around me. When you are stuck in life look around you, do you have positive role models or mentors you can rely on to help you see the light?
- Take responsibility. Look inward and understand that you have everything you need to succeed wildly today, it's just that you are relying on external factors for your success. By taking responsibility for changing your situation you empower yourself to break free of your rut.
- Introspection and Meditation. When things around you get so heavy, so meaningless and challenging – give yourself permission to focus inward for 30-minutes each day by practicing yoga and meditation. With just a week of consistent meditation you will be amazed at how less terrible you will feel about your current rut
- Know the signs. Take stock each day of your feelings, your accomplishments and how well aligned your actions are with your inner purpose and desire. Recognize how you feel and how you respond when under pressure, out of control and out of alignment. If you can identify these characteristics early you can take control before you get stuck in a rut
There is no reason to spend another day stuck in a rut. Use these 10 techniques to break free and begin living life the way you really want to once again.
Jeff
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Thank you
Great post. It's helpful to give tips for people to make change. Even small changes can have a major impact on how we perceive life.
What if you moved to a new city…don't know many people…the people you do befriend are only out for themselves…"whats in it for me? How can I use and abuse the shit out of you?" So I isolate I believe it is better to be alone than in bad company…so how do you get social? And if you walk the dog to do it and people seem to run the other way…or talk only for a short time…like I have the plague? What then? What if you have no car, no job, no friends, no money, no boyfriend, no boobs? What if you can't change your diet because you situation doesn't allow you to? Your skills to cook do not allow you to? What then? Get comfortable in the rut?
I liked your point number 6. Take baby steps. That is so important. Many times we get confused with making life changing decisions like career changes and really the answer is hidden in the little steps.
My life has been going down hill for approximately three years, when I moved in with my current boyfriend. He has ended up being controlling, (didn't want me to work so I stopped, duh), controls all the money, kicks me out every other week, threatens to shut off the lights water etc. I have been raising my two grandkids, now 16 and 19, plus I have taken in two homeless teenagers. My boyfriend gets mad over any and every little thing, he is mad more than he is not. I am going through a total depression, been looking for work. Wake up every day, counting the minutes until I can go back to bed and forget my life. Help me please. I did go to the doctor he put me on klonpin which kind of helped at first but now seems to be doing nothing and I don't want to get addicted to some medication. I have no friends (he wouldn't allow that either), I look back and no how truly stupid I was to let him get this control that he now has but I don't know how to get out of it. I can't find a damn job, have no family and no where to turn.
@Julia:
I am sorry Julia you are going through this. I believe you are going through something terrible and no one should make you feel this way. Your life isn't about waking up only to looking forward to going back to bed. You should have a lot more drive and passion. You sound so hospitable and caring…you do not deserve this. Either dump him or move out as that loser isn't worth even a tear from you. You must get up and LEAVE! Easier said than done and time is a healer but you must do it..I was physically and mentally abused until I forced myself out of it. I am now married to a lovely person..albeit not perfect marriage but my self-respect is here, my dignity is here and I am not ill-treated..I just have to deal with his extended family for now!!!
@Annie: perhaps if you think people are only out for themselves you are shying away from something you dislike about yourself, and are only concerned about what's in it for you, the best way to form a mutually beneficial relationship with someone is to simply strive to benefit their interests rather than your own. in other words, do stuff for other people, and they will like you, and perhaps reciprocate. we humans used to rely on community and altruism, but the corporatocracy has weeded out those good traits by making us seem "self sufficient" when we really rely on corporations for our jobs, our food, our other necessities, and thus our identities, humanity is in a big giant rut, and we are being dug deeper by people that want us exactly where they have put us, and have been keeping us our whole lives. one good way to reach people is by learning to make really good food, and giving it away.