It happens-- you're going along, feeling pretty great, and then the panic sets in: what the hell am I doing with my life? We all get into ruts from time-to-time, that's just the cyclical flow of nature. But, what do you do to get out of them? Here's my top ten solutions to get out of a rut and restart your vivacity for life!
1. Take a Nap
I wasn't a big believer of naps, until I became an adult. And now, I'm in the camp that afternoon naps should be mandatory. Honestly, if I had an office with a couch, I would take one every day. Now, you shouldn't go sleeping your whole day away (that's what the weekend is for), but nothing will snap me out of a bad mood faster than laying down for 30 minutes can.
2. Meditate
Meditation is the more socially acceptable solution to napping. Much like it's "frowned upon" counterpart, the whole point is just to let your mind reset by not thinking about anything at all. In times of stress, I find meditation to be the only thing that calms my mind and there's so many apps out there, that you can easily find one that suits your needs (my go-to is Calm.com). Bonus: if you develop a meditation practice, this helps prevent ruts from taking over!
3. Get Some Fresh Air
Whether this means going for a 5-minute walk in the middle of the day, or booking a weekend at a seaside resort (depends on the rut, really), there's nothing better than a little fresh air and perspective.
4. Get Together with Friends
You know what always helps me when I'm feeling stuck? Laughing. You know who makes me laugh? My friends. It's simple math, really. Also, sometimes friends have a way of looking at things in a different way than you can.
5. Take a Bath
This one may be pretty exclusive to me, but the basic concept is to do something for yourself that makes you feel good. Because when you take good care of yourself, you feel like you deserve to be in a better place than the current situation.
6. Start a New Hobby
What better way to cure a listless mind than to inject some new fun and creativity in it? Whenever I'm stuck, I try to find something that'll take me out of my comfort zone and teach me a new skill at the same time. After all, it was a particularly bad rut that ignited my culinary skills!
7. Change Your Look
Again, this depends on how bad the rut is, but this could be anything from buying a new pair of shoes, to chopping off your hair. New look = new you.
8. Clean
I'm sure there's some sort of psychological reasoning behind this, but to me, a clean space means a new start. Maybe it has something to do with getting rid of physical clutter will also get rid of the clutter in your mind? Is that what the "Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" is really all about?!
9. Forgive Someone... or Yourself
I think the times I've really been feeling low and stuck has been when I've been holding onto undue guilt. Now forgiving is much easier said than done, but I've always found letter writing (and not sending) to be extremely useful. Or if you really have done something that warrants an apology, there's no time like the present!
10. Remind Yourself It's Not Always Going to be Like This
Sometimes there's nothing to do, but just wait it out. And in the meantime, there's bourbon (disclaimer: drink bourbon and all alcoholic drinks with caution and moderation! And please always remember these are my personal opinions and should be taken with a grain of salt)