Are you stuck or in a rut?

In talking with a dear friend, she confided that she felt like she was in a rut. She asked, “have you felt stuck or in a rut”? Of course, I have. I would believe most of us have felt like this at one time or another. Fortunately, most of us can get out of this feeling quickly and never really know that we were in what some refer to in a rut. Some us of just need some sunshine!

What is a rut?

Well according to Psychology Today, it describes a rut as every day is the same. Get up, maybe go to work, and so on. You do not feel like much is getting accomplished, even when they can be. All the days are running together. Sounds like Ground Hog Day! The closest disorder to a rut in the DSM is dysthymia. This a mild, chronic cousin of depression, the symptoms of which are low energy, low mood, loss of interest, and general anhedonia (loss of pleasure). There was a study of people who had this low grade of depression and how people's brains (while in this state or left untreated) react to their favorite music, researchers found that healthy participants' brains got excited, while the brains of depressed participants hardly seemed to notice the music was playing. That's what it's like to be stuck in a rut: you just stop hearing the music. I have never stopped hearing the music, but I found that interesting that it could be a good gage to know if someone is depressed. Ruts come in all types of strengths. The first step is to identify it.

The good news is that we can do something about it. I went to work on studying about what to do if you are feeling in a rut or just unmotivated. I do not like to use the word depression freely knowing that there are many people who have a clinically diagnosed problem, so I am going to just use the word RUT! I want us to know what to do if we are feeling unmotivated, and just feel stuck.

According to Verywellmind, below are what psychologist would recommend.

Find a cause of this rut

Is it boredom, lack of excitement in your marriage, you are unhappy with your weight, too many bills to pay and not enough money or maybe you do not like your job? Identify what you believe seems to bring you down. The first step is figuring out what seems to be nagging at you the most. I never really thought of this as a rut. I thought this was just considered as problems in life. Well, when we let things nag at us continuously, it affects our minds and well-being and can cause this rut. So, first identify what is the root cause. We might have many problems but let’s pick the most important one. Then, we can go to work on this main problem and find ways to resolve or reduce. Knowing what is making you feel this way is a big first step.

Look at our habits of self-care

Are we getting enough sleep? Are we eating healthy, getting some type of exercise, and of course making sure we are connecting with friends or family? These seem to be very common questions that any psychologist or even medical doctor would ask us. Why? It is because this is the first thing that can affect our well-being. I never really knew how important being around people is so healthy. We are social beings. You might consider yourself as an introvert, but you still need that social interaction. We are wired to need connection (I am going to get more into that on another blog). Self-compassion was also a part of self-care. I believe this one is most important. Beating yourself up about being in a funk (some of us use that word to instead of a rut) is not going to help. It just makes us feel worse. All of us have some type of problems and we need to understand that is does not define who we are. Give yourself compassion as you would a friend. Be kind.

Change up your routine

I like this idea. Maybe we are just tired of the same ole things. Try adding something new to your routine. Maybe it is not scrolling through social media with your morning coffee and sit by a window and watch the birds. It has been proven that social media can be harmful. It can make us feel like our lives are not as exciting as others. Change what you usually it for breakfast. It was suggested that we can even walk down the street and back each morning can recharge us and a great way to start off your day. As cold and dark as it has been in the morning, I was not thrilled with this suggestion. So, changing our routines can help us get out of the rut.

Get outdoors

Nature has a positive impact on the brain. There have been many studies and it has been proven that nature can enhance our creativity. So, make it a point to get outdoors. If I am feeling a little unmotivated, I go outside and either watch the birds play or find a plant in my garden and study it. I look at the blooms and leaves carefully. It gets me thinking of how there is so much beauty in our lives that we just need stop once in a while and acknowledge.

Find Purpose

We know that planning a trip, or a social gathering, or even a plan to watch a favorite show can give us a burst of excitement. This is very important to our well-being, and I had no idea. Now, I enjoy making trip plans and do get excited but never knew how we benefit from it. I should have known. I see it in my father’s disposition. He gets so upbeat when he has a trip in his near future. In fact, my siblings are taking him to Fredericksburg this weekend and he is full of excitement. It does not even have to be a big trip to get excited. Call a friend and meet for a latte. You will get the thrill of the planning and the social connection. I feel we all probably don’t do this enough. We think we do not have enough time. Well, it may be for 30 minutes and could be beneficial for both. Do not overlook the little things. Small things can be a big help of getting out of your rut.

So, I hope that you can remember some of these tips when you are feeling in a rut. We have all been there and now we have some tools to try.

Get outside today even if it is for 5 minutes and breath in the air.

Have an incredible day!