How to Get Out of a Rut (23 Tactics) • The Disciplined Rebel

Knowing how to get out of a rut is important, because everyone is going to be in a rut at some point in their life.

Believe me, I’ve been through many of them, including a few longer-term slumps which took a huge toll on me.

I have tried a million things to try to break out of those ruts. Some have worked and some have not.

Through trial and error, as well as hearing what’s worked for others, I’ve collected 23 tactics which have the most potential to help you get out of a rut.

Table of Contents

1) Types of Ruts

2) 23 Tactics to Get out of a Rut

3) Conclusion

Types of Ruts

Before we dive into the 23 tactics, I want to talk quickly about the types of ruts you could be in.

Based on my experiences, I feel like there are three types of ruts:

Little Rut: Lasts a few days
Big Rut: Lasts weeks or months
Gigantic Rut: Lasts years

When you listen to people tell you how they got out of a rut, you generally get two different types of advice:

“Chilling” Advice: Doing things which are fun, make you feel relaxed, or refresh your mind (these often make more sense for little ruts)
“Changing” Advice: Re-thinking your life, doing productive things, or getting professional help (these often apply more to big or gigantic ruts)

When first thinking about this article, I thought about breaking the advice down based on the type of rut. Because a rut that lasts a day and a rut that lasts a year are going to be radically different experiences that require different types of solutions.

But then I thought even deeper about it, and I decided to lump everything together.

Why I’m Not Providing Different Recommendations Based on the Severity of the Rut

First, there are lots of things which SEEM like little things, but can help you get out of big ruts.

We will get to some of these later, like going outdoors and getting exercise.

On their own, these smaller things aren’t going to get you out of a long-term rut.

But if you start to couple several of these tactics together, and consistently implement them for a long period of time, they can have a huge impact.

Second, there may be “little” ruts that are truly horrible.

Especially if provoked by an emotionally traumatic or mentally draining experience.

They might not last a long time, but the pain you are experiencing in those moments is very real.

Third, the “little” ruts can lead to “big” ruts.

If you don’t get out of them quickly, it can feel like quicksand pulling you in deeper and deeper until it turns into a long-lasting period of misery.

Because of these reasons, I decided to group all the tactics for how to get out of a rut into one list.

23 Tactics to Get out of a Rut

With that background in mind, here are 23 tactics for how to get out of a rut, that hopefully can help alter your life for the better.

Keep in mind, I don’t expect all these methods to apply to you. Feel free to pick and choose which strategies make sense to apply to your own unique, personal circumstances.

Finally, if you are going through depression or another serious issue, make sure to seek out help from a professional.

1. Don’t Put Pressure on Yourself to Have a Sense of Purpose

When I think about the worst ruts I have gone through, one thing that gave me a lot of anxiety was this depressing feeling that I didn’t know my sense of purpose.

That life is meaningless because I don’t know what I want to do.

It is an awful feeling, and only compounded my ruts further.

One of the worst ruts I went through was just after I got out of grad school.

I spent a few years searching for jobs and failing to get one. Part of that was probably the economy or my lack of experience, but the other part was my lack of ambition.

I spent most of my time playing video games, ate fast food for every meal, and didn’t exercise at all.

I was incredibly depressed and lost, and part of that was because I didn’t feel I had a sense of purpose.

Years later when I reflect on that time, I realize one of the biggest things that got me out of my slump was when I stopped caring about my sense of purpose.

Instead, I just started focusing on doing things because they helped move my life forward in a positive direction. Even if they didn’t have a really deep sense of meaning or an end goal behind them.

Don’t let the feeling that you don’t know your sense of purpose keep you paralyzed.

It will come one day – but you don’t need the answer fully figured out to get out of the rut you are in.

2. Do Something Small That Makes It Feel Like You’ve Accomplished Something

One thing that has worked well for me, has been to do something easy that makes it feel like I’ve done something productive.

It could be:

Making your bed
Cooking a meal
Cleaning
Or anything that you feel 100% confident is a piece of cake for you to do

That will give you a sense of satisfaction knowing you got something done.

And doing something productive will help begin to shift your mindset from negative to (at least relatively) more positive.

3. Break Your Usual Routine in a Small Way

Another method that has worked well for me and others is changing up your usual routine in some small way.

For example:

Driving a different way to the grocery store.
Eating different meals than you normally would.
Or walking a different route to work.

Sometimes just mixing things up a bit is enough to start getting you out of your rut.

4. Consider a Radical Change

In addition to making tiny changes to your routine, you might want to consider making a bigger change.

Like:

Moving
Switching jobs
Or quitting some obligation which is mentally draining you

Depending on your specific situation it’s not always the right answer – but sometimes a big change can help you see things in a new light.

5. Remember a Past Rut That You Have Made It Through and Repeat Whatever Got You Out of It

Another thing that has helped me, is to remember a time in the past where I’ve gone through a funk and survived.

It helps in two ways:

It’s comforting knowing I’ve made it through a tough period before.
If I reflect carefully on what helped me get out of it, I can repeat those things.

Of course, this isn’t possible if this is your first tough rut you’ve been through.

But once you have that experience under your belt, it helps a lot.

If this is your first rut, it might be hard to care too much about this in the moment – but pay attention to how you are able to climb out of it. (And you will climb out of it!)

Then the next time you get in a funk, you will have a better idea of what to do. And hopefully come out of it faster the next time around.

In a way, you can train yourself to get better at coming out of ruts like any other skill.

6. Exercise

Exercise was one of the biggest things that helped me get out of that post-grad school rut I mentioned earlier. Possibly THE biggest.

It started with deciding I was going to play basketball every day. I already enjoyed basketball but hadn’t been able to motivate myself to play in a while.

Then one summer during my slump, I decided I was going to play a little basketball every day.

And as I played, I started to get in better shape, which made me feel more positive. It was the first thing I’d felt positive about in a while.

Not only that, the positive feeling I got sparked an interest in lifting weights which I eventually started to pursue.

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself whether you are in a big or a small fut. If you feel better physically, you will feel better mentally. Plus, it will give you a huge confidence boost.

Side note – If you are interested in more on exercise, check out my article on how to stick to a workout schedule.

7. Eat Healthy

Along the same lines as exercising, eating healthier will help you get out of your rut sooner.

During my post-grad school slump, my interest in weightlifting got me interested in improving my diet.

I started buying healthier food at the grocery store instead of just eating junk food. And eventually, my desire to eat healthier led me to start to learn how to cook.

I’m not a nutrition expert, but the biggest key for me was finding healthy foods that I also liked.

If I had tried to force myself to eat kale salads every day, I would have (A) given up and (B) just felt even worse.

8. Get Good Sleep

Research shows that getting a good night’s sleep does wonders for our health.

Sleep has been proven to improve our concentration, productivity, and social abilities.

And bad sleep has been linked to depression as well as a multitude of physical diseases.

If you aren’t getting good sleep, see if you can – it might really help you.

9. Get Outdoors

Like sleep, getting outside has a huge array of health benefits.

Which include:

Boosting your energy
Reducing pain
Bolstering your immune system
And helping you focus better

Not only that, just being outside in the sunlight and enjoying nature can help lift your spirits.

It doesn’t have to be an elaborate outdoor activity – just going on a short walk every so often can go a long way in helping you get out of the funk you are in.

10. Spend Time with Positive People and Away From Negative Ones

Spending time with positive people can help you come out of a rut faster.

They don’t necessarily need to be overly optimistic or anything – they just need to be the type of people who make you feel better about yourself.

And not the type of people who make you feel worse. Avoid those people at all costs.

If you don’t have anyone positive to be around, try to read books or listen to podcasts from people who provide an optimistic perspective.

When I was in my post-grad school slump, I found a lot of inspiration listening to certain podcasts that had uplifting messages.

11. Pick a Small Goal to Start Working Towards

Try picking a small, easily achievable goal to start working towards.

Make sure to choose something specific and detailed, not something to broad or vague.

For example:

Learning to cook spaghetti
Reading a useful non-fiction book
Or meditating for 5 minutes each day

If you can follow through with a goal, even a small one, it can help you start to build some momentum and develop some good habits.

And with that momentum, it will be a bit easier to start turning things around and getting out of the slump you’ve been in.

12. Vent a Little, But Not A Lot

Sometimes, if you can find someone to vent to a little bit, it can help you let out some steam.

A little venting is good sometimes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But don’t overly vent. If you vent all the time about your problems, it will just make you feel even worse and fill you with negativity.

Which will make it even harder to climb out of the rut you are in.

13. Put Yourself in a Different Environment

Sometimes going to a different environment for a while can have a big effect on your mindset.

You could take a vacation, day trip, or even just go on a short walk or drive to a new area.

This isn’t always as easy as it sounds, since you may have a tendency to want to crawl up and spend all day in bed.

But a different location can open your mind to new, positive ways of thinking.

14. Take a Shower

This one probably applies mostly to little ruts (unless you’ve gone a REALLY long time without taking a shower).

But there’s nothing like a long shower, or even a bath, to rejuvenate you. It also gives you some time to reflect away from your phone and other distractions.

15. Listen to Music

This is another tip probably best for getting out of small ruts – but listening to music can really help relax you and take your worries away.

I’ve found it especially helpful when feeling angry or upset at things.

16. Ask for Help

When you are in a bad rut, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or a professional.

I already mentioned this earlier, but consider talking to a therapist or other mental health professional if you are going through any serious issues.

17. Help Someone

This is a tactic I have found especially life-altering.

Whenever I am feeling down and miserable, if I am able to do something to help someone, it ALWAYS lifts my spirits.

It doesn’t have to be something big – it could be small like giving a nice compliment to someone.

My wife and I have both found that when one of us is in a funk, if we help someone (or each other) it makes us feel a whole lot better.

18. Identify Any Bad Habits That Are Keeping You in the Rut and Try to Break Them (But Don’t Feel Guilty if You Can’t)

When you are in a rut, think about any bad habits you have.

These are probably things which are making your funk even worse.

If you can quit them, or even just reduce them a bit, that can go a long way towards helping you break out of the rut you are in.

For me, cutting down on the amount of video games I was playing helped me get out of my post-grad school slump.

But whatever you do – don’t feel guilty if you have trouble getting out of your bad habit. That guilty feeling will only make things even worse.

If you can cut down on a bad habit that can be very helpful – but don’t put TOO much pressure on yourself. It might be tough to do while you are in a slump period.

19. Start a New Hobby

Another way to get out of a rut in your life is to start a new hobby or activity.

It could be guitar, weightlifting, sports – whatever you are interested in.

Sometimes the hobby can become a new passion for you, which can add some meaning to your life.

I found when I started weightlifting, it gave me something to live for and be passionate about. Even though at first it was just a small hobby.

20. Journal/Write

Journaling can be a great way to get your emotions out.

This is something that has worked well for a lot of people I know.

For me, writing this blog has been very cathartic.

Although I haven’t been in a long-term rut since my post-grad school one, I have gone through some fairly intense shorter-term stuff.

And writing has helped me focus more on the positive and get past those tough periods.

21. Only Listen to Advice Which Makes Sense for Your Personal Situation

When you are in a rut, everyone you know will try to tell you what to do. But only you know what is best for you.

For example, when I was in my post-grad school slump, I received some helpful guidance, but I also got a lot of advice that didn’t make sense for me.

So, just know there is no single magical solution you must do to get out of a rut.

It’s up to you to figure out what advice you hear applies to your personal situation, since you know yourself better than anyone else does.

By the way, I don’t expect you to make an exception for this article! Only use the tactics which make sense for YOU.

22. Find One Small Thing to Latch on To

Another thing that I try to do when in a funk, is to find one thing to latch on to which I am thankful for in my life.

Even if everything is completely horrible, you can usually find one small kernel of positivity if you dig deep enough.

For instance:

A skill or talent you have that you are proud of
A friend or family member who is a positive part of your life
Or even just some fun thing you like doing

Focusing on something that is positive can help lift your spirits.

23. After You are Out of a Rut, Be on Guard For Signs That You Are Slipping Back

Finally, after you are out of the rut, always be on guard for signs that you are slipping back into a rut again.

If you notice that you are falling into a rut, you can come out of it much quicker if you address it early on.

Conclusion

Coming out of a rut can be incredibly difficult.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution that works for everyone.

But hopefully some of these 23 tactics can help you break out of ruts more easily now or in the future.