Working Your Way out of the Rut

Life can become extremely tedious when you feel you are stuck and don’t know how to move forward. It’s a bit like being wedged in a pair of concrete shoes and not being able to move. The world continues to pass you by, but it feels like you cannot advance.  

The choices that you have made in the past have all culminated into the present moment and led you to this point in your life, and so the choices that you make now will lead you to different futures and realities. Whatever you do in your life is a choice; even the decision to do nothing is a choice.

Experiencing this sense of ‘stuckness’ can elicit a whole myriad of emotions including helplessness, a lack of confidence and lethargy. But even at the lowest ebb, it is imperative to know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Make a note of all the choices that you have available to you right now, and then decide which one is the best, even if it’s a very small one. Even a small choice will take you into another place in your life and help you to experience some movement.

Certain habits and routines perpetuate the feelings of being in a rut. Whether it’s drinking, smoking, taking certain medications or eating badly, they all sustain the groove that we have put ourselves into. The more stuck one feels the more one tends to smoke or drink or eat badly. It forms part of the escape mechanism, but does not do much for one’s emotional wellbeing.  By breaking the habit, you will begin feel that you have control over your life again and the direction that you want to take.

Make a point of doing something different each day, and change your routine even if it’s getting out of bed on the other side or changing the order in which you conduct your morning rituals. This will help you to alter your perspective on life.

Many times, when we are in a rut on a mental level, it is directly related to our physical wellbeing. So take a walk, go for a bike ride, go for a swim, or just go to the gym. You’ll instantly feel better physically which will translate mentally.

Clean up your home or office. Get rid of all the stuff that you no longer use and give it to someone who may benefit from it. A clean environment leads to a clean mind. Once your mind is free of all that clutter, you are best positioned to move ahead.