Are You Stuck In A Rut? (Part 2)

Take a field trip.
Go somewhere or do something that interrupts your established patterns and kicks your mind and spirit into a different gear. It's amazing the power new surroundings have to renew and refresh the spirit. And you don't have to travel far either. If Tahiti is not an option, try sitting in a different chair at home, taking a different route to work, or working at the library. New perspectives are at your fingertips!  

Harness the power of regret.
Studies have shown that counterfactual thinking can actually help motivate you to act. What is counterfactual thinking? It’s what it sounds like: Thinking about how something might have happened instead of the way it actually happened. You can imagine a better or a worse alternative.  Think about what you would do differently next time and change your behavior to reach the positive outcome.  In any situation, the question “What might I have done?” prompts a new and empowering resolve: “When X happens (or doesn’t happen), I will do Y.”
 
Remember your victories.
Make a list.  Put items on Post-It notes around your space.  Do whatever you need to do remind yourself that you can get through this, as you always have.

Set boundaries.Take a close look at where your time and energy are being drained by what feel are unpleasant obligations. What are you doing that doesn't bring you joy? Start saying no.

Surround yourself with positive people.
Even if you're not feeling like it, force yourself to spend time with people who will inspire you.

Many times, the road to success is found by taking a detour. Sometimes we get overly focused on getting to our goals through a well-trodden or familiar path. A crisis is one of the ways that the Universe can show you a new direction. If you can say, “yes” to the alternative route in front of you, you may find a wonderful new vista opening up that’s full of opportunity. 

So the next time you find yourself unable to move forward, take a moment to believe in yourself. We all get stuck at times. The trick is to minimize the time you stay stuck! Any car can be gotten out of that rut in the mud if approached with the right tools. Trust that you will get out of whatever quagmire you may find yourself in - now that you have your own tools at hand to help!

 

Are You Stuck in a Rut? (Part 1)

Doing the same things in the same way, day after day, can sap our energy and enthusiasm, leaving us unsure how to restore excitement and spontaneity to our lives.This is a clear message that it's time to change, but how?

Lighten up.
Sometimes you need to give yourself a break from the constant nagging, and those shoulda's, woulda's, and coulda's that you keep running through your mind. Chastising yourself is clearly not helping you actually get anything done, not to mention that it's depressing and bad for your emotional well-being. Take the pressure off in any way you can — give yourself a longer deadline on a project, or scratch out all items on your “to do” list that can wait until next week. 

Take stock of your comfort zone.
To get out of your rut, you need to have a good understanding of what —if anything—is keeping you in it.  Are echoes of your past influencing your responses and keeping you stuck in place? Understanding where your responses are coming from is a first step toward getting yourself on the move.

Make a small change.
Even a small alteration in a rut can have remarkably liberating effects, Call someone you haven’t talked to for a long time. Try a new recipe or workout regimen. Instead of watching TV in the evenings, dig into a compelling book.

Set attainable goals.
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of change getting out of the rut will entail? When you set goals, keep in mind that we all tend to exaggerate our abilities and we also attribute failure to circumstances beyond our control, rather than ourselves. Be ruthlessly realistic about how well your talents match up with the goal you’ve set. If the rut has to do with a goal you’ve set for yourself that seems unreachable most of the time, you need to pull back and master the thought process called mental contrasting.

Use mental contrasting.
This technique involves keeping your ideal future in mind while also thinking about the factors that may stand in the way of your achieving that future —almost as if you were looking at two images on a split screen. Mental contrasting allows you to be energized and motivated by that desired future, on the one hand, while keeping you realistic about what you need to do to fix potential problems, on the other. This also promotes strategic “If.. then” thinking which allows you to plan your reactions and responses to potential setbacks. Excerpted from Psychology Today


More tips to follow...