How to get rid of a mental rut, according to a psychologist

By Jessica Estrada | WELL + GOOD

Ruts happen to all of us. One day, life is amazing and everything is peachy—and the next, it’s a struggle to just get through the day. It’s not a really fun place to be.

The first step towards getting out of said rut, says Lindsay Tulchin, PhD, is to identify that you are, indeed, in a rut.

So what exactly is a mental rut and how do you know if you’re in one? Dr. Tulchin describes it as “a negative spiral of thoughts about yourself and your future that lead to avoidance of either actions that you know will help you feel better or actions that will help steer you in the right direction.”

In other words, if you have negative thoughts playing on a loop and you’re just going through the motions without putting energy towards your goals—welcome to Rut City.

To help you move past it, she offers some tips to get you back to slaying your goals.

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