This pandemic was hard on all of us. Many of us have experienced huge life changes like working from home, homeschooling, unemployment, and the loss of loved ones. Dealing with all of the changes that came with this pandemic can cause even the people with the most resilience to fall into a rut. If you have fallen into a post-pandemic rut, we are here to provide you with a few tips and tricks for climbing your way out and sparking more joy, hope, and optimism into your everyday life.
Find Time to Connect with Other People
Humans are a social species. We find ourselves flourishing most when we spend our time connecting with others! While you may not be able to see your friends and family as easily as before, you can find a way to connect with them. Make the effort to reconnect with family and friends as much as possible [Covid-19 restrictions allowing].
Ditch the Overwhelm
We think of a new action to get out of a rut. Then we think of another. And another. And another. We overwhelm ourselves. We then retreat and do nothing simply because it becomes too much. Avoid overwhelming yourself. Think about it. We do not get out of a rut by consuming more on our plate. Resilience sometimes requires doing less. Minimalizing our lives and taking one simple, small action at a time allows for easy wins to manifest. So, take little steps, set achievable goals and create easy wins. That’s how we unleash momentum.
Take Care of Yourself
“Self-care” is a term that is thrown around a lot these days. It doesn’t have to necessarily take on the social media meaning of taking a bath and reading a motivating book. Self-care simply means that you are taking care of yourself, mentally and physically. It can include taking a break when needed, getting your daily exercise in, drinking enough water, stepping outside, getting enough sleep, and eating nutritious foods. While it can be hard to maintain your motivation for taking care of yourself when you are struggling, self-care is so important to fighting your way out of this rut. When you take care of yourself, you have more energy, focus, and zest for life.
Set Small Goals
One thing we tend to lose when we fall into a rut is our motivation. Becoming too ambitious in our search for motivation and purpose can become overwhelming and discourage us even farther from pursuing our goals. Setting small, attainable goals can prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and give you the confidence needed to get back on track toward your goals. Create a 7-day plan to get out of a rut instead of just performing tasks over and over again. Write down the goals and habits you want to get back to and set a due date. Repeat this week by week and gradually you’ll get to the lifestyle you want.
Seek Help
If your rut is beginning to make a negative impact on your quality of life, seeking the help of a mental health professional may be just what you need to work your way out of it. A mental health professional can help you figure out why you are feeling this way, guide you back to a healthy state of mind, and teach you coping mechanisms if you ever begin to feel this way again.
This pandemic has been tough for all of us. As we begin to adjust to our new “normal”, we are all going to experience growing pains. Using these tips and tricks may help you build and maintain your resilience through this adjustment period.