How to Get Out of a Rut?

Recently I posted a YouTube video talking about ruts and routines. This post is a follow-up to that. Sometimes its hard to recognize when we are in a rut because maybe it used to be part of a routine we had. Let’s say we like to watch tv in the evening after work or before, but now all we do is watch tv in the evening, this starts to sound like a rut to me. I also like to think about values when I’m talking about routines and getting out of ruts. Take a few minutes and think about what’s really important to you, how do you want to be living your life. This exercise is part of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy or ACT. Write down at least 5 things that you value and think about how your routine in daily life are serving you. Are they getting you closer to these 5 values? I like to think about concert examples of ways to get closer to our values and write those down as well. For example, one of my values is creativity. If I’m watching tv all evening every evening I’m probably stuck in a bit of a rut and not living according to this value of creativity at all. So what I might do is think about ways to do that like spend time doodling/drawing before I watch television, take a pottery class, practice watercolor, or go to art supply store and look at art supplies to inspire me. This is just one way to get out of a rut. Hope this helps. ~Shannon