4 ways to get unstuck if you’re in a rut

I got stuck in a rut recently. The ebb and flow of my personal wellness doesn’t phase me as much as it used to, but this dip struck me as particularly harsh and long.

When I’m at “my best,” I’m eating well, exercising, meditating, producing good work, creating, and setting aside time for rest and play. Over the course of the rut, though, these things went out of balance. After a deeply honest session with my therapist, I began to take little steps toward feeling like myself again.

Today is a beautiful Friday, and I’m glad the sun is shining slightly brighter. While the world is facing many challenges, I’m back to being my usual optimistic self. I’m more in touch with the possibility that I get to create the life I want for myself, while accepting that pain will always be a part of the process.

I know there will always be ebb and flow—for everyone—so I’d like to share a few things that helped me, in case you’re feeling stuck too.

Move

There’s a reason this is always the first item on any mental health-related list. I can’t overstate how important exercise has been for me, even if it’s just a five-minute walk. I say set a small goal, and go for it.

In their book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Emily and Amelia Nagoski talk about how we get “stuck” inside a stress response cycle without completing it, which leads to burnout and ruts. And (surprise!) they suggest exercise as a way out:

Physical activity—literally any movement of the body—is your first line of attack in the battle against burnout.

Remember, your body has no idea what “filing your taxes”… means. It knows, though, what jumping up and down means. Speak its language – and its language is body language. Physical activity is what tells your brain you have successfully survived the threat, and now your body is a safe place to live. […It is] the single most efficient strategy for completing the stress response cycle.

A quick walk does the trick, for sure, but here are some other fun ways you can move:

Blast your favorite song in the bathroom, and dance while you’re getting ready for the day.
Belt out to your favorite song (“Defying Gravity” from Wicked is my fav for this purpose).
Do a little dancey dance.

You don’t need an elaborate workout routine—just do something that gets you moving. It’ll be worth it.

Talk to another human

We’re wired for connection: we need it to not only thrive but to survive. This is why, when you don’t feel like yourself, you should talk to someone. Simple as that.

I work at Zapier, a remote company, where connecting with coworkers outside of work conversation can be hard—you need to be intentional about it. That’s why I’ll sometimes DM someone on Slack and say, “Hey, it’s been a while! Would you be interested in a catch-up?” If they say yes, I ask if I can add something to their calendar, and we go from there.