Opinion: Stuck in a mental rut? Try this

Several years ago, while working in my office, I quietly slipped around the corner and into the supply room to make a few quick copies.

Neither of my assistants noticed, and they were unaware that I could hear their conversation. Unexpectedly, their talking turned to hushed whispers.

“Mark’s a nice guy, but he’s moody,” one lady said. “You’re right,” said my long-term assistant, “he’s a good guy, but you never know what you’re going to get on Mondays!”

At first, I was surprised by the unvarnished observations about me. But the more I pondered it, the more I realized they were right. I can be moody, especially if I’m in a rut.

Everyone is vulnerable to a mental rut and our behavior gives signals. We know we need to get more done but put things off. We want to be more productive and positive but continue complaining about our work. Or there’s not much to look forward to and so we keep going through the motions.

Admittedly, some ruts can turn into significant mental health challenges. I’ll leave that to the professionals to address. I’m talking about the everyday ups and downs everyone faces, stressors that can escalate into full-blown slumps.

There’s a good chance that if you selected this column to read, you probably value personal development and may have questions such as: What exactly does it take to get out of a mental rut? Why is it that when some people realize they’re in a rut, they perceive it and can swiftly get out? But others, when they recognize it, they don’t feel like doing anything about it.

Here are six actions to recognize and deal with a mental rut effectively.

1. Keep a realistic perspective. Negative things go on continuously. The ambition isn’t to be the person who constantly thinks positively. That’s not realistic. Be realistic about the actions you can take to crawl out of your slump, then get going.
2. Keep a good attitude. We have the power to choose our attitude every day, which is essentially the result of our thoughts, and thoughts are the engine that drives our mindset. Depositing the right thoughts consistently requires commitment and intentional behavior.
3. Keep your desired future in mind. Don’t stay in your comfort zone. Replacing your comfort zone with the desired future is often challenging for an individual or a team. When I was leading a client’s training once, I had the leaders make a list that described the ideal customer service and what it should look like and a second list describing the obstacles to the goal. Doing both highlighted the desired future and put their current comfort zone in perspective.
4. Keep the small stuff small. Most things that give us stress are small stuff blown out of proportion. Overlook the minor irritations coming from small things to have increased workplace happiness. A case in point is when I once tried to facilitate a training needs assessment at a manufacturing client’s second shift, but the employees wanted to spend the time griping about not getting a pizza party like the first shift. Small stuff.
5. Keep it together. Climbing out of a rut isn’t always easy. Our habits and behaviors are deeply ingrained. When we get stuck and can’t seem to move, we may benefit from a push. Read or listen to helpful books. Get a coach or friend to talk things over.
6. Keep viewing your situation honestly. I told a salesman I was coaching that he was on cruise control. He didn’t like it, but once he examined himself truthfully, he admitted he was in a rut and needed to get out. We discussed what was keeping him there, and he was back on track with hard work in a few months. Taking a step back and seeing your circumstances honestly can help you get out of a rut faster.

Part of the problem with a rut is that you may not see a way out, or you see the way out, and it looks too challenging to change. Use your power to choose to get out of the rut and watch how things change for the better.

Consultant, professional speaker and author Mark Holmes is president of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc. and MarkHolmesGroup.com. He can be reached at mark@markholmesgroup.com.