We all get to a point in our daily grind where everything feels monotonous and we’re stuck in this machine-time approach of getting through the day. It happens to all of us even at the best of times. I found myself in a rut recently and had to think of some ways to get myself out of it. Matter of fact, I’m still shaking off the rut one layer at a time and these are some things that are helping me along the way.
1. Define your priorities. As a daily commuter, I spend the first 2 hours of my morning on autopilot. I get out of bed, shower, and do all the necessary deeds to get me out the door. 9 times out of 10, I sleep on the train to work as I’m somewhat sleep deprived. Being a full-time employee means that anything I want to achieve needs to be done before I start working, or after work. What I’ve started doing once I sit down on the train to make my commute back home is to define my priorities for the evening instead of focusing on a mountain of tasks I need to do, or even worse, procrastinating. Priorities tend to change over time and I’ve found it very useful to leave room to grow and assess where I choose to give my time and energy.
2. Clean out your closet. This also includes cleaning out your beauty and skincare products. I’m guilty of holding on to items that no longer serve me so cleaning out these items helps to shake off that feeling of being stuck. It is worth doing this at the end of each season to reduce any feelings of being overwhelmed by the number of things you need to get through. Another alternative to this would be switching out your items with the change of seasons (for example, swapping autumn & winter items for spring & summer items as the temperatures rise). This is beneficial for those of us with smaller wardrobes.
3. Revamp your look. I have to give credit where it’s due and I credit my husband for this one. He talked me into going to a few stores in the mall to try on new clothes. Let me start by saying that you don’t need to spend any money in order to revamp your look. Although I didn’t buy a lot of things from the stores, playing dress up in the stores (and seeing how they were styled on the mannequins) inspired me to think of different ways I can bring life to some things I already own. I haven’t completely followed through on this but I’m taking baby steps by introducing new elements to my look once or twice a week. As I ease into this new version of comfort, I feel myself slowly stepping out of the style rut I found myself in. If you choose not to purchase anything new, you can always shop your wardrobe, peruse Pinterest (and magazines) to see how you can put a twist on the things you own.
4. Evaluate your expectations. What do you want to achieve? Remembering what you want, and the why behind it can give you the head start you need to get out of a rut. It’s easy to sometimes forget the reason we choose to follow a path because of all the noise in our daily lives.
5. Do something new. One of the reasons we get stuck in a rut is doing the same thing over and over again without any room for growth. By introducing something new, you break that repetitive cycle and stimulate your senses. One of the new things I’ve introduced is Jillian Michaels’ workout DVDs. Jillian is quite tough and her workout routines are not for beginners but it is a good addition to my walking workouts. Another thing I’ve introduced is the SOAP method of doing devotions. SOAP stands for scripture, observation, application and prayer.
What are some of the things you do when you find yourself stuck in a rut? Do share in the comments.
