It can be seriously difficult to keep that smile on your face when winter hits and you don’t see the sun for days. It’s cold, everyone is in a bad mood and you have too much on your plate. Between your job and hobbies and trying to coordinate schedules with your BFFs, it’s a wonder you’re even surviving at all. And let’s not even talk about when you’re finally going to hit the gym – goodbye, New Year’s Resolutions. But there’s a massive difference between feeling a bit overwhelmed thanks to your crazy busy schedule and feeling completely unlike yourself. If you can’t describe exactly how you feel but you know that your life is boring you to tears now, it’s time to admit the truth. You’re in a life rut. Here are 15 ways to tell if you’re actually in a rut. The best thing about it? You can always turn things around.
15 You Have No Energy
Everyone gets totally burned out sometimes. It’s basically a fact of life considering we’re all so overworked and we rarely take the necessary time to relax. But if you really have zero energy and that tired feeling lasts for longer than a few days, you might want to consider the fact that you’re in a rut. When you’re feeling bored with your life and your routine, that makes you pretty exhausted. Just make sure that you’re not actually in a depression because being tired for no logical reason is one of the symptoms, and depression is no laughing matter.
14 You Don’t Want To Go Out
It’s hard to tell when you’re in a rut and when you’re just obsessed with the latest TV show that everyone’s tweeting about, but there’s a difference. If you’re sitting at home because you have no plans and would rather be doing something fun, then that’s okay. But if you’re home and your friends ask you to grab happy-hour drinks and you think that sounds horrible, then you’re definitely in a major rut. Life can’t be all Netflix, all the time, no matter how much we all love the streaming service.
13 You Spend Too Much Time Alone
When you’re in a rut, you tend to isolate yourself. You don’t want to tell your friends and fam that you’re not enjoying your lifestyle as much as you used to, and you feel pretty guilty, too. It’s not like you’re actually depressed and nothing is actually technically wrong. You know you have a great life and so there’s nothing to complain about. But instead of letting people in, which is what you should be doing, you’re just hanging out on the couch feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t be a loner – tell someone that you’re just not feeling all that great these days.
12 Your Job Bores You
Maybe this is your absolute dream job or just something you’re doing to pass the time and pay the bills, but either way, you’re seriously bored at work these days. You never want to be at the office and it shows. Your boss is starting to notice that you seem to lack ambition and your coworkers don’t want to be influenced by your bad attitude. You don’t mean to be so annoying and unprofessional but thanks to your rut, you just can’t help yourself. You spend every day scrolling through Facebook photos of your friends and even random strangers that you’ve never even met because you’re just not into working.
11 Your Weight Is Going Up And Down
Everyone tends to stay within a five pound weight range, and it all depends on how many happy hour nachos you’ve stuffed your face with recently or how many hours you’re logging at the gym. If your weight is fluctuating on a regular basis, though, that’s definitely a sign that you’re in a rut and there’s no doubt about it. Your weight shouldn’t go up and down quite that much. You’re apathetic about your health and body, though, so you’d rather eat another bag of potato chips at 3 p.m. rather than stick to your usual healthy lifestyle.
10 Every Day Is The Exact Same
You have a routine just like the next girl, with one crucial difference: your routine is seriously bumming you out and you can’t remember the last time you did something fun and kind of spontaneous. You do the same things day in, day out and it’s seriously getting old. Don’t be afraid to shake things up every once in a while. You can totally rearrange a workout to see your friends – and nothing bad will happen. Really. We’re all pretty attached to our routines but it’s possible to change your schedule up and not still be healthy, happy and successful.
9 You’re Uninspired
Maybe you’re in a super creative industry or maybe you’re filing and organizing someone else’s life and dreaming of a better job, but whatever your full-time gig, you need to feel a certain amount of inspiration in order to be as productive and successful as you want to be. If you’re feeling uninspired, then that means you’re in a rut. That’s totally cool – it happens to everyone. It’s impossible to be “on” and super excited about your job all the time – that’s just not real life. Even your boss gets bored sometimes and dreams about giving it all up and moving to a deserted island.
8 Your Lunch Always Looks The Same
And your breakfast. And your dinner. And your snacks. Are you sensing a theme here? It’s totally okay to eat the same foods day after day – after all, that’s a surefire way to stick with a healthy eating plan, which we are all know is so much easier said than done. But you’re going to get seriously bored if you never try new recipes or ingredients. If you don’t feel like putting any effort into what you’re putting on your plate, then you’re definitely in a major life rut, and it’s time to shake your meals up.
7 You Daydream 24/7
Life is not always a total picnic and we all know that, and of course you’re going to daydream sometimes – that’s what work meetings are for, right? If you find yourself daydreaming all the time, then that’s definitely a sign that you should change your life. You shouldn’t waste time wishing and hoping – you should get out there and do something about it. That’s what separates the winners from the losers at the end of the day. Maybe your daydreams are telling you something. But if they’re all about George Clooney, sorry – can’t help you there.
6 You Complain All The Time
Your poor friends and colleagues. They just wanted to chat with you about the latest episode of everyone’s guilty pleasure, The Bachelor, and instead you’re ranting their ears off about everything that’s gone wrong for you lately. Seriously, take a step back and chill out. There are always going to be daily annoyances in life but complaining is not the way to deal with them. You’re just going to drive the people that you care about far, far away. Figure out why you’re whining so much and take action. You’re always in control of your life.
5 You’re Apathetic
It’s not that you hate the idea of going to a movie tonight with your coworkers – it’s just that you don’t really care either way. You know you’re in a serious rut if you don’t get excited about social plans anymore… but it’s not because you’re dying to take a break at home, because you don’t get excited about the chance to curl up at home with a good movie, either. You probably want to get back to normal and fast before your social life completely dries up and people stop inviting you anywhere at all. That would be the worst, right?
4 You Never Leave Your Comfort Zone
Of course you want to stay in your comfort zone – because, well, it’s comfy there. It’s called that for a good reason. But it’s not a great idea to never do anything to makes life feel like an adventure. You deserve a fun, magical life that’s full of surprises, and you can’t surprise yourself if you stay inside your little bubble all the time. Annoying to hear but still totally true. If “no” is your default word recently, you’re in a total rut. You should be saying “yes” and experiencing new things.
3 Your Family Is Worried
You never want your fam to worry about you. They’ve done so much for you already – maybe they put you through university or they invite you over for delicious home-cooked dinners when you get tired of ordering pizza all the time. If your family is worried about you, then it’s a definite sign that something’s not quite right. They probably can’t put their finger on what’s actually wrong since you can’t exactly do that, either. But you know it’s a rut if people are starting to notice and wonder why you’re not yourself.
2 You Feel Sick All The Time
If your life doesn’t feel normal and you can’t remember the last time you felt happy and healthy, then you probably think you’re getting a cold all the time. You always think you got your coworker’s epic bug or wonder if you’re coming down with the major flu that’s making the rounds through your friend circle. The fact is you’re probably not sick – you’re just feeling kind of blah. It’s all just part of being in a life rut. All you can do is skip the pizza in favour of salad and get your butt to the gym and hope that those things make you feel normal again.
1 You Feel Off
If you can’t really explain exactly how you feel but you know that you just don’t feel like yourself, then you’re officially in a life rut. It’s okay. It happens to everyone sometimes. If you mention how you feel to a friend, you’ll probably be surprised to hear that they’re feeling the exact same way. There are so many reasons why – it’s winter, it’s freezing, there’s not much sunlight these days, and hot, carefree and magical summer days feel like a lifetime away. But as long as you can get your spark back and start enjoying your life again, don’t worry. You’ve got this.
sources: healthline.com
