Things I've Been Doing to Get out of a Mental Rut
It’s no secret to anyone who follows me on Instagram or to any of my closest friends that I have been going through a mental health rut these past few months. I talked about this a little in my article about pandemic PTSD, but things have felt so repetitive recently and the world has had such a negative energy about it that it has been hard both physically and emotionally. In today’s post, I am going to be talking about things I’ve been doing to get out of a mental rut that have been helping significantly.
How to Get Yourself Out of a Mental Rut
The below list is of things I’ve been doing to get out of my mental rut. Before I go on, I want to preface this post by saying slow and steady wins the race. In other words, I’ve never seen anyone get out of a mental rut quickly and manage to stay out of it. There is always bounce back. Believe me, I’ve learned the hard way.
Take the time to refocus your mind and energy. Over time you will develop habits that will help in the long term. I talk a lot about this in my article about slowing down and making yourself a priority. Here are the habits that have been helping me. (PS: for the first few, I always use a journal to write things down. This is the unisex one I have been using recently and love. It’s high quality and has lots of space for my oversized handwriting).
1 - Pinpoint exactly what is causing the issue
It can sometimes be multiple things added on top of one another! Whatever it is that is causing the rut, figure it out and write it down. This is going to sound cheesy, but writing my negative emotions and triggers down in my journal helps me let them go quicker.
2 - List out all of the emotions you have surrounding the issue(s)
A lot of the time, you know you feel depressed or sad or angry, but don’t realize there are other emotions in there as well. Frustration. Fatigue. Write them all down. Listing them out can automatically give your brain a sense of ease. You have identified what has been causing you pain and how you feel about it.
3 - Figure out healthy outlets to release these emotions
Human Created Problems
If whatever has you in a mental rut is man made (tension with your significant other, for example), plan a way to have conversations that will release the strain you’ve been feeling. Talking things out scientifically can release stress and other negative emotions almost instantly. If you don’t feel you can have the conversation with the direct individual, you have two options. One is to vent and game plan with someone you trust. The other is to have the conversation with a third party present. This could be a friend or a therapist, depending on the severity of the conversation and the people involved.
World Created Problems
If your rut is stemming from things out of your control (the pandemic, the death of a loved one, etc) it can be tougher to overcome. This is going to sound cheesy (again, sorry), but I developed a mental reminder to help deal with situations like this. It’s all about touching your TOES. I do it both literally and mnemonically. Stretching helps relieve stress, and the mnemonic acronym helps me remember what to do in this type of situation.
Touch Your TOES
Therapy – work with a therapist to get everything out in the open, and gameplan how to get your emotions back on track. Even if you think you have everything on your own, having someone to just listen always helps. Most insurance plans at least partially cover therapy right now because of the pandemic. If you don’t have insurance, check your city’s resources to see if free counseling is available. You can also click here and put in your zip code to find free and affordable options.
Outlet – find an outlet outside of your daily routine, and try to do it every day. This outlet could be reading, writing, gaming, talking on the phone, or even shopping (hey, no judgement). The main goal here is to get your mind off of whatever is troubling you even if it is only for a limited time.
Exercise – exercise can immediately improve your mood. It also can act as a distraction. If you’re not really in shape or don’t feel mentally strong enough for anything with high intensity, start by going on walks and work your way up. You don’t have to go all in all at once. Again, it’s all about pacing yourself 🙂
Support – I don’t care if your support is a person or a pet, but find some sort of support system in your life. Someone who thinks you are amazing even on days when you don’t feel like yourself is so important! I have the best friends and my husband to lean on. They can absolutely turn my day from the worst to pretty great in not a lot of time at all.
4 - Remember to Pace Yourself
Remember, most of the time, getting out of a mental rut takes time and patience. You can’t get out of a dark hole quickly. It’s all about working your way up the ladder to find the light. One final tip is to always, always, always be future focused. You may not be able to fix today, but you can put in the work to make life for the “future you” better.
