When everything in life is working out as planned, it’s hard to accurately describe how good it feels – and just how much potential each new day can seem to hold.
On the flipside, however, when you fall into a rut and things seem to be going in exactly the opposite direction to the one you would prefer, it can be extremely difficult to remain motivated, to keep your spirits up, or to take proactive steps to get back onto the right path.
Life can and should be an immensely positive, uplifting, and exciting adventure. But it is inevitable that, from time to time, we will all find ourselves in situations where things just seem stagnant and hopeless. In these sorts of situations, it is fundamentally important to latch onto some directly actionable steps that can help us to begin digging our way out, and getting back on the course that leads to the places we want to be.
While every particular situation will need tailor-made and specific solutions, there are nonetheless a bunch of practical tips that tend to have a good effect in a broad range of different situations, with regards to helping to get things back on track.
Here are a few practical tips for climbing out of that rut.
Get your nutrition on point
The way you eat has a tremendous impact on everything ranging from your mood, to your energy levels, to how well you are able to sleep, and how resilient you are to the various stresses that arise over the course of everyday life.
Even if all of that is the case, however, it’s very easy to end up overlooking the importance of good nutrition if you aren’t really paying attention, or you’re preoccupied by other things.
Whether because of a lack of time, a lack of motivation, or a lack of inspiration, it’s very common for people to end up in situations where they are either chronically overeating, or undereating, or – perhaps most commonly of all – are eating foods that are low in essential nutrients.
Although it might sound remarkable, nutrient deficiencies of varying degrees are actually very common in the developed world, even with supermarkets and restaurants on virtually every corner.
Among other things, there is evidence that a deficiency in vitamin D can lead to lethargy, depression, and an array of other health issues, while a deficiency in magnesium can lead to heightened anxiety, insomnia, and more.
If you know that your nutrition isn’t exactly on point, perhaps the first step in getting your life back on track should be to work to optimise your nutrition. Eat healthy, whole, home-cooked meals. Supplement with vitamins and minerals as necessary.
Often, this step alone can leave you feeling completely bowled over by just how much more energy and motivation you end up with, as a result.
Set a regular wake up time
If you have been made redundant from your job, or work remotely on a flexible schedule, there’s a good chance that you’ve slipped into having totally irregular wake up times and that these are not doing you any favours with regards to feeling your best, or getting your life in order.
What’s more, irregular wake up times are undoubtedly now more common than they have been in some time, due to the general disruption and routine-shake-up that has occurred as a side-effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns and upheavals.
If you are constantly waking up at irregular times, however – or if your usual wake up time is midday – then you will be undermining yourself in a variety of different ways in most cases.
First and foremost, your circadian rhythm will suffer, your energy levels will be inconsistent, you will experience a high likelihood of things like insomnia, and the quality of your sleep will typically deteriorate – which, in and of itself, leads to many other associated health conditions.
Beyond this, however, there is also the very clear and real issue that having a completely disrupted wake up time will mean that you are constantly at odds with broader society, and with the people around you.
One consequence of this can be that you end up becoming more socially reclusive. Another consequence might be that you aren’t available at the right times to discuss future job prospects, or to attend classes, training seminars, or other relevant gatherings.
Do what you can to regulate your wake up times and to bring them in line with society at large.
Take steps to address any health issues you might have been ignoring for some time
If you have fallen into a state of apathy and despair, there’s a good chance that you will also have been failing to properly address any underlying health issues that might be weighing on you, and negatively impacting your quality of life in a variety of ways.
This could be the case for psychiatric conditions, or for chronic medical disorders, but it can also be the case for things that are not necessarily “diseases” or “conditions” in a conventional sense, but that can nonetheless significantly undermine your quality of life.
It might be, for example, that your eyesight is very bad but that you’ve been constantly putting off a follow-up opticians appointment, and are using glasses that are no longer fit for purpose. Make no mistake that this can totally undermine your mood and sense of well-being, and can complicate your life dramatically.
To get your life back on track, take whatever steps you can, as soon as you can, to begin addressing any health issues that you might have been ignoring for some time. This might start with reading a good glasses buying guide, or making an appointment with your GP to discuss something that’s been troubling you.
Consider buying tools and devices that allow you to get things done with less distraction and stress
It can be remarkably difficult to actually get things done in everyday life, if you feel as though your attention is constantly being dragged in one direction or another, and as though you don’t have the space and clarity of mind to just focus on one thing at a time.
In his book "The Paradox of Choice", the psychologist Barry Schwartz outlined some remarkable evidence that an overabundance of choice in our everyday lives is likely to be a serious detriment to our well-being and ability to achieve our goals – rather than being the unmitigated good that we often think it is.
Largely, this seems to happen as a result of a psychological “freezing up” mechanism that could be referred to as analysis paralysis.
Consider buying tools and devices that allow you to get things done with less distraction and stress, on an everyday basis, and that don’t draw you into time wasting activity spirals to a dramatic degree.
Perhaps something as straightforward as getting a voice -controlled AI home assistant device will allow you to keep up-to-date with your appointments, and to do things like check the weather, without feeling compelled to surf the web for an hour.
De-clutter and organize your home
It is often very tricky, to say the least, to come up with a comprehensive plan for how you should achieve a particularly ambitious goal of yours, or even how you should set about “overhauling your life” within the next six months.
In many cases, the most effective and worthwhile approach will just be to take some initial action within your immediate sphere of influence, to begin generating positive momentum.
One thing that everyone can do is to de-clutter and organise their own home – an exercise which is often necessary after you’ve fallen into a rut.
Once you got your home tidied up, it’s very likely that you will find yourself feeling far more motivated, focused, and driven to take the next step forward. It’s also more likely that you will be able to actually see what the next step is.
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