Feeling stuck in a rut? 4 ways to take action

The car will not start, laundry mounts up, food keeps disappearing from the cupboards, and your job is a bore!

Life can sometimes be a roundabout of meaningless annoyance, and you feel as though you are walking up the down escalator.

The list of things that you should do continually outweighs the list of things you want to do, tenfold. On you trudge.

Perhaps you have lost touch with friends and feel you are not exactly a joy to be with. At home, confrontation with the children erupts daily as you find fault with their dress, attitude and food they eat. You dress for comfort and convenience, blending into the background.

Do you want this situation to change?

Think back to a time when you did what you wanted to do. Boring tasks were a means to an end, with definite light at the end of the tunnel. You had clothes you loved, and you wore them all the time. Guilt did not accompany an afternoon of idleness, and laughing out loud was the norm, not the exception. Where is she now, that sparkling self-assured person? Worry not; perhaps she hasn’t gone far, and there are things you can do to reconnect with her.

1. Take a good look at yourself

Take a good look at yourself and consider what would help you feel more like you again. Perhaps it's your hair, skin, nails, or simply making some time to look after yourself. Is there something small you could do immediately?

Take action.

2. Consider the positive areas of you and your life

Consider the positive areas of you and your life; the things you are grateful for. Start each day by acknowledging five things you appreciate in your life and notice whether this helps shift where you place your attention.

Take action today.

3. Consider what you are carrying from the past

Consider whether there are things from the past you're continuing to carry with you. The past is as it is and cannot change. Where you can, consider what you've learnt from the experience and what choices are available to you now.

Take action.

4. Think about what will help you move forward

Holding on to anger or resentment can sometimes take up a lot of emotional energy. Consider what might help you move forward – whether that's setting a boundary, accepting something you cannot change, expressing how you feel or being a little kinder to yourself.

Take action now.

How might your perspective change if, sometimes, you asked what you could take from an experience rather than only focusing on what had happened to you?

Think about what you want from life and what actions could move you towards it. Visualising what you'd like things to look like can help you make your goals clearer.

Change can start with noticing what you want to be different. By being prepared to change and taking action, you can begin making choices that bring more of what matters to you back into your life.

Start today – take action.