One of the worst things that can happen in life when we are trying to improve ourselves is to get caught in a rut. The sense of stagnation can be stifling, and manifests itself in many forms. This could be reaching a plateau at the gym, running out of ideas to write about, boredom, and so on. These factors can lead to frustration and disappointment, and can be a drain on morale.
In order to avoid self-discouragement and to continue pushing, it is important to get out of ruts as quickly and efficiently as possible. Here are a few ways that we can get out of ruts without breaking our banks.
1) Take a Day Trip
Seeing the same things day-in and day-out can lead to mental stagnation. The way out of this situation would be to see and experience new things. If you have access to inexpensive transportation, then you can take a day trip to a nearby city. If this is not an option, then you may want to visit a local museum or exhibit to see some new things and perhaps develop some fresh ideas.
2) Chat Up Random Strangers
The problem with a lot of shut-ins is a lack of communication. Sure, talking over TeamSpeak or messenger apps is nice, but occasionally we have the need for a real face-to-face conversation. When you are out and about, try to strike up conversations with other people. Not only will this help us to develop conversational skills, but we may also learn things or get a fresh perspective on things that will hep us to climb out of our rut. Of course, do not be discouraged if other people have lives to attend to and don’t have time to talk. Sometimes, a “Hello” is enough to lift our spirits.
3) Hang Out With New People
If you are always spending time with the same people, you might want to get a new set of running buddies. This does not mean that you have to completely abandon your old friends, but maybe you can try hanging out with a new crowd. It is preferable to hang around people that have similar aspirations, as well as people that will inspire you to better yourself.
4) Read Some New Material
Reading the same type of material every day can be useful when trying to develop a mindset. On the other hand, reading the same type of material can be boring after a while when we come across the same ideas repeatedly. To change things up, try reading blogs or books from niches that you do not read about on a regular basis. You may just gain some new insights from differing perspectives that can tie in with what you are trying to accomplish.
5) Find an Inexpensive Hobby
I know that many of you reading this probably play video games or watch anime and consider them to be hobbies. If you are keeping up with the latest games or actually buying anime instead of streaming or pirating it, then the costs of these hobbies can add up. They likely help to keep you in the rut that you are in as well.
Some inexpensive hobbies that can help you to experience new things would be learning to dance, exercising, reading, working on a small pet project, or photography. These hobbies can also be expensive, but using the tools at your disposal, they do not have to be. For instance, while I am an advocate of actually going to a gym, one can exercise and even get into pretty good shape using just their body weight and a little bit of space around them. If you have a smartphone, it probably has a camera that you can use to take pictures. Maybe they won’t be the best, but this is a hobby that we are talking about, not a business.
6) Exercise or Change Your Workout
If you do not exercise on a regular basis, then you should start. That is not to say that you should be benching two plates outright, but you should get started at your own pace. Your mind and body will feel the difference.
If you already have a workout program but have reached a plateau or are getting bored with your routine, then switch things up to make it more interesting. For instance, instead of hitting one muscle group for an hour and resting between sets, try to hit two muscle groups back to back. Change the days that you exercise, or go for a run outside instead of doing all of your cardio on a treadmill. There are numerous ways to make exercise more interesting if you put your mind to it or look into the matter.
Get Out of Your Rut Today
All of these methods have been effective in helping me to get my life out of the doldrums. If you have any ways that work to help you out of a rut, please feel free to post them in the comments below as I would love to hear them.
For additional reading on this site that might help you to get out of a dating rut: TOPGUN Tactics in the Game