Since moving back to my college-town and starting online classes again, things have honestly felt more monotonous than before. The charm of living in a new place has worn off, everyone is busy with their classes, the amount of work professors are giving seems to be off the wall, and online shopping habits are the only things producing serotonin in my life.
But falling into a rut isn’t an awful thing, if anything it gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate what is and isn’t working in our lives and try to establish a better routine for ourselves.
So, here are some things that help me when I fall into a rut, and hopefully you can benefit from a few of them.
- Deep Clean Your Room
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Deep cleaning is never fun, but when you realize you’ve been wearing the same sweatpants and hoodie for the past 3 days, it’s important. Pull out all your clothes and get rid of the ones you don’t wear. Sweep under your bed. Clean your surfaces with lysol. Re-organize your desk space. Make your bed and wash your bedding. So many of these things will take less than 20 minutes but will make you feel 100 times better than before.
- Go Grocery Shopping
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Once I get into a rut, I realize that I’ve been eating out too much or hardly eating real food at all. Going grocery shopping – intentionally – really helps me focus on future meals and get excited about something (even if it’s just tomorrow night’s dinner).
- Journal
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Journaling really helps me to be introspective about what’s going on in my life. Writing down things I might not think about telling others, even the smallest of things, helps me work through my emotions and feelings in a positive way. It also helps me understand why I’m in a rut or what’s holding me back. If I realize I’m not waking up until 12pm everyday, then I can start to make a small change. If I realize that I hate all my classes, I might consider changing my major or thinking about why. Setting time aside to light a candle, listen to some lo-fi beats, and journaling can really help get.
- Exercise
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I used to run every single day last year. I would run 6+ miles on a single run and enjoy it. Now? I can hardly convince myself to put workout clothes on. When I realized that I didn’t feel a passion for running like I once did, instead of forcing myself to go out and potentially burn myself out on it, I pivoted. I started doing small ab workouts, going on walks, or swimming. I think when we’re in a rut we should start to think about what we’re doing that’s not bringing us joy like it once did. It’s okay to not want to run or do something you used to like, but pivoting to a new workout or exercise can help us have a little more joy. And if you’re not working out regularly, that’s okay too! Just incorporating a morning walk or some yoga practice can do wonders for your mental health.
- Cut Out Bad Habits
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Some things that are super detrimental to our mental health that can throw us in a rut are our bad habits. Whether you’re drinking a ton of alcohol, have a nicotine habit, or just eating nothing but Jack in the Box for dinner, realizing our bad habits and cutting them out can seriously help us move out of a rut. Replacing them with more healthy alternatives can help us move forward in our lives in a much healthier way.
Everyone gets into ruts, now more than ever with eeryone in quarantine. It’s important to realize that ruts are not forever and that we can totally change the way that we’re feeling by changing our habits in small ways. And if your rut feels too big to handle on your own, personally I recommend reaching out to others for help – whether that’s a best friend or a therapist. Highs and lows are just an effect of being human. We all go through them.