Tuesday, April 28, 2009

How to Get Out of a Rut - What to Do When Nothing Seems to Work

It is said that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the fact that one is deeper than the other. That may be accurate or not but it is a hard fact that being in either of those place really stinks. The main reason that it does stink is that it creates a feeling that there is no way out of these situations which in turn gives rise to feelings of helplessness, depression, lethargy, apathy, torpor and paralysis.

That's a disempowering scenario and one that has to be changed to an empowering one. Changing from a negative to a positive attitude is not only the first step that must be taken to get out of a rut it may also be the hardest one to accomplish. We can't talk our way out of a bad mood and no one else can do it for us. So we must grab the bull by the horns and do it ourselves.

We said that we can't talk ourselves out of a negative state of mind. If it was that simple, it would have already been done. Auto-suggestion or self-talk will not work but we can trick ourselves into a positive state of mind.

The best way that changing state of mind can be done is by altering our body posture and breathing pattern. Some explanation is needed to understand this concept.

Our physical body and our breathing pattern reflect our state of mind. When we are in a depressed mood, we stand and we breathe like a depressed person and when we are happy and feel like we are standing on top of the world that is what our posture and breathing pattern will reflect. State of mind and bodily posture reflect and reinforce each others.

So if state of mind and body posture influence each other, it then becomes evident that by changing our posture and breathing pattern we will automatically influence and modify our mood or state of mind. So, the first thing to be done to change our mood and get out of a rut is to start standing and breathing like a strong and confident person and thus start transforming our state of mind to a more positive one.

The next thing that needs to be done on our way out of a rut is to write down at least ten tentative solutions for our current problem. Now, most of these solutions might not solve anything but they will certainly change our focus and get us to think about solutions rather than concentrating on the problem.

Once those tentative solutions have been written down, the most promising ones have to be expanded and explored until they lead to a workable applicable solution. A solution does exist and that list is the map that will lead to it. Like all maps, the easiest and most promising route may not be immediately evident but it is in there to be found.

Being stuck in a rut, a morass or a dead end situation is not the end of the road. It simply means that changes must be made, new paths must be explored, new targets and destinations must be sought and, most of all, action, sometimes massive action, must be undertaken. There is always a way out and its our job to find it.

The sun always rises after the sky reached its darkest point and the brightest times in our life always follow the most somber periods. Seasons change so does our reality. Nothing is eternal, least of all periods of hardship. With hope, work and persistence we can change anything. Any lemon can be turned into a lemonade. Now, get out there and do it.

By Dr. Raymond Comeau

Dr. Raymond Comeau aka Shamou is the Author of ShamouBlog and Administrator of Personal Development for Personal Success Forums.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Raymond_Comeau

0 comments: