Getting Out Of A Rut Can Feel Absolutely Impossible

I Know From Personal Experience That Getting Out Of A Rut Can Be Difficult

The first time I fell into a rut I didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew is that things just seemed odd. It was as if I wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything I was just stuck.

What Is A Rut?

Google defines a rut as a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.

I didn’t cry when I found out I was in a rut, but I did start tearing up when I realized how hard getting out of a rut can be.

In this post, I am going to share a couple of my own rut stories. I will then take a moment to break down what I did to get out of a rut and lastly I will give you my personal tips on getting out of a rut.

How I Fell Into A Rut… Actually How I Fell Into Many Ruts.

I had just started a new relationship. It was the first relationship where I felt completely comfortable. I didn’t worry about my diet or the bills I had to pay because I had love. Isn’t that all we need in life? Well, that’s what Disney and others want to believe.

That’s the funny part about it all. I was never one of those who felt that love is all you need. I live in reality. I love working. I love making my own money and doing what I want, but somehow I ended up falling into a pit of comfort.

I did the typical things we all do. Go to work. Come home. Nosh on something. Watch something or hang out on social media until my guy made it home. Eat dinner then go to bed.

The normal stuff right? Well here’s the kicker outside of driving myself to work I became dependent on him driving me places. Also, I could have been doing something productive during the time I was waiting on him to get off work.

My mind had warped into a circle around him. It was very unlike me. The fearless girl who would and could do anything.

This was an easy fix. Getting out of a rut… Well, at least this particular rut wasn’t too bad. I started driving to places after work without him and I started learning about Tarot.

Now, Let’s Get Into A Rut That Was Extremely Difficult

I thought I wanted to be my own boss. Don’t we all? They make it seem so glamorous, exciting, and fun online, but for me, it was not.

I found myself being incredibly lonely, isolated, and lacking the desire to get out of the house.

I live in a city where I don’t have any friends and the layout of the city is ridiculous. You have to get on the highway just to go to the corner store.

I started having serious anxiety about getting out of the house. I didn’t even want to walk to the mailbox let alone drive somewhere. My guy became a security blanket once again driving me where ever we needed to go and picking up things on his way home after work.

I was ashamed of myself. How did this happen? Not only was I not functioning like a “normal” person I had gained so much weight. Yeah, I let my body go.

I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally and physically. I remember looking in the mirror and not recognizing myself.

Where am I? Where did I go?

I Was Floating

I was in my own self-built preservation bubble to keep myself safe watching life pass me by. What was I keeping myself safe from though? I don’t have an answer for that, but I knew I had to get out of this.

As I sat on the couch watching my one-thousandth Youtube video for the day I started mentally muting the Youtuber and reflecting on my past. I thought about all of the achievements and goals I made and how I accomplished them.

I have always been the type to see something and figure out a way to do it, but in the past few years, a lot of my goal planning had melted away.

Seriously, what was the point?

That was the problem. I did those things without a big purpose. I did those things because I simply wanted to do them. I didn’t do them because I wanted to be considered cool or wanted people to congratulate me.

I did them because I just wanted to and that was a good enough reason for me.

Once I realized that I was in my own version of Groundhog’s Day I decided I needed to change. Not tomorrow. Not next week. I need to change now and getting out of a rut, especially this type where my whole life was a mess was going to be difficult.

My Action Plan For Getting Out Of A Rut

My rut was hitting all parts of my life. My physical body, my mental health, my finances, and my relationships.

I decided to buy two things to get me back into my life. A journal and a planner.

Then I took the time to think about my life and what it should be. Then I cracked open my journal which is honestly just a 5-subject Mead notebook and wrote down my goals. I didn’t just write my goals though I wrote down actionable steps I could take to get out of this rut.

For example, for losing weight I would put lose weight but I didn’t write down a specific amount because I end up getting so upset when I don’t hit the exact number, but also I become incredibly obsessed and I didn’t want to obsess over the number. Instead, I wanted to “obsess” over the action steps.

Lose Weight —> Walk 30 minutes a day and keep carbs to 20 grams daily.

These are easy steps for me. I proceeded to do the same for my mental health, finances, and relationships.

How To Get Out Of A Rut

Getting out of a rut is difficult. Sometimes, it can be easy, but most of the time it isn’t because you’re climbing out of your sweet warm nest of comfort and pushing yourself across boundaries.

Hell, it was even hard for me to even notice I was in a rut, recognize what was creating the rut then figure out how to get out of a rut.

My Simple Getting Out Of A Rut Advice

1. Identify where your rut is. Is it your work? Your fitness? Figure that out
2. Once you’ve identified your ruts write down a goal.
3. Break down your goal into actionable steps that you can take daily. Don’t overwhelm yourself because if you put down 30 daily action steps you’re most likely not going to hit them. I limit my daily action steps to two.
4. Write down your goals and action steps in your journal, planner, calendar, and where ever else you need them to be to stay on top of them. I have a whiteboard, a wall calendar, a google calendar, a journal, a planner, and lots of sticky notes to help me.
5. Get in the habit of reviewing your goals daily. If your goals and action steps are out of mind then they are out of sight. Plus when reviewing daily you can take note of any successes or changes.
6. Be kind to yourself and be patient. You’re going to change overnight. It will take some time to get out of a rut, but eventually, you’ll be yourself again or even better.

I Wish You Well

On your journey to getting out of a rut and I hope this post was helpful. If it was let me know by leaving a comment below or sharing it with someone you think may benefit from it.