Getting Back on Track: 5 Ways to Pull Yourself Out of a Slump

Written by Peter Clemens - 14 Comments
Categories: motivation

slump2.jpgSometimes life is traveling along quite nicely, then – BANG – for some reason you fall into a slump. You know the signs: low energy, lack of motivation, a don’t-give-a-f attitude and maybe even depression. What is harder to know, however, is how to pull yourself out of such a slump.

Of course one option is to roll with it and hope it wears off. A better option, however, is to implement some strategies that will boost your mood and hopefully get you back on track. I am all too familiar with such slumps, so I would like to share with you the following 5 strategies that I have personally found to be most effective in counteracting them:

1. Ditch the Routine

I enjoy my daily routine, but every so often I need to throw it out the window for the sake of my sanity. Instead of waking at my normal time of 5am, I will turn off my alarm and wake up at my leisure. Or, I might leave my ipod at home and just enjoy the sounds of everyday life as I travel to and from work. Sometimes I even find that acts that are seemingly against best practice – eg getting drunk, eating greasy takeout or lying on the couch watching mindless television – are for some reason psychologically beneficial.

2. Exercise

Exercise is a fantastic way to get out of a slump. It is well known that exercise stimulates various brain chemicals, leaving you happier and more relaxed than before your worked out. And by making you look and feel better, exercise will also help increase your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

3. Do a Good Deed

I always find that doing a good deed for someone else is a win-win act because, apart from helping that person, I am left feeling better about myself. The good deed could be for someone you know – your partner, a friend or a family member. Or, you may choose to volunteer for a good cause and/ or donate to charity. Personally I find that volunteering to help the underprivileged is an especially good way to regain some perspective on life and realize things aren’t so bad after all.

4. Clear Your Mind From Clutter

Mental clutter is a major cause of falling into a rut. Over time all those things that keep getting pushed back – your taxes, replying to an email, servicing the car – can build up and cause you stress, both consciously and unconsciously. You don’t need to necessary do all these tasks to clear your mind. The key is to get them out of your head by writing them down, and then specifying the next action that is required to either complete the task or move it forwards.

5. Completely Change Direction

Sometimes a slump can be brought on by stress related to one particular project or task. These can hijack your thoughts, making it seemingly impossible to think about anything else. When this happens to me, I find it is best to put the task or project aside for a few hours, or even a few days, and do something completely different. It amazing how returning with a new, fresh mindset will allow me to get done in 1-2 hours what may have otherwise taken a whole day if I had continued to struggle along.

Any tips for getting out of a slump? Please share them in the comments below….

Peter writes about how to change your life at The Change Blog. He is also the author of Starting a Blog and Audio Book Downloads.

  • http://www.varsityblah.com/about Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah)

    I love the idea of changing your routine. As long as you know what you need to do on any given day, it really doesn’t matter what order you do those things in. So why not shake it up? It really does add a little spice when it’s needed.

  • http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/stanley_f_bronstein_mr_achievement.html MrAchievement.com (Stanley Bronstein)

    Basically, every so often you need something fresh.

    An observation I’ve had over the past few days. Based upon my following of other personal development blogs, I’ve noticed a trend of several of the writers being sort of blah the past few days …

    Their posts, which are normally so positive and frequently posted either turned negative or there were no posts at all.

    I think some people out there are a little burned out at the moment. This excellent post by Peter is great, because it doesn’t jump on anybody and it reminds them to simply get back on track and it tells them how.

    Yes, every so often we all need to just relax and let our spirits recharge.

    For example, yesterday and the day before, I did some gardening. Just a little something different to let my brain relax a bit …

    MrAchievement
    Stanley Bronstein
    Attorney, CPA, Author, Blogger & Professional Motivational Speaker

  • http://www.pickthebrain.com Peter

    I have noticed that too – indeed I have been one of those bloggers feeling a bit blah recently. Initially I continued my routine of waking early and blogging, but on reflection I wasted my time as I would spend an hour or two in front of the computer for the sake of a few sentences.

    This past weekend I slept more than usual, spent a couple hours volunteering and did some exercise outside. This morning, for the first time in awhile, I feel great. And not surprisingly, the words are freely flowing again when last week it seemed as if I was trying to draw blood from a stone.

  • http://www.mysuperchargedlife.com Jeff@My Super-Charged Life

    I like the idea of doing a good deed to pull out of a slump. I find that my slumps are usually caused by tunnel vision on my own little world. Doing something nice for someone else is a great way to get your attention faced outward again and to get a boost of energy to boot. Nice article!

  • Marshall

    Hey, I haven’t been here for a few days because I’ve been finishing school finals. I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, so this post is spot on.

    I especially liked the first point. I’m a big fan of routines, so usually when I get into a slump I’ll notice that my routines are falling apart. At that point, I’ll try to get back into the routine, thinking that that will get me out of the slump.

    Maybe my problem is that I need a break from the monotony. I’ll definitely be trying this in the near future.

    Thanks for the insight.

  • http://www.etavitom.com etavitom

    Going for a walk is great! Thanks for the wisdom…

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  • http://lifeology101.blogspot.com Ayesha Lone

    I learned this tip recently from a segment I did on the Oprah Winfrey show with Marcus Buckingham. Journal for a week. Write down activities that drain you, make you feel weak. Also write down things that make you feel strong, you look forward to, time flies when you do them. If you’re in a slump, you’ll see that the reason may be because you are spending the majority of your time on activitie that are draining you…leaving you with no energy and no motivation. Slowly, start spending more of your time on the activities that you enjoy doing. Even if it’s just making one change a week. This was a powerful tool for me to help me move back into the right direction.

    Ayesha
    http://Lifeology101.blogspot.com

  • http://celestinechua.com/blog/ Celestine Chua

    Hey Peter! Great article and I love the 5 tips you have shared in this article. I’ll like to provide a 6th tip, which is to simply take a break. I was recently in a slump a few months ago (I wrote about it my blog (http://celestinechua.com/blog/2010/01/why-we-have-slumps-and-how-to-get-out-of-them/) and I realized it was because I had not given myself proper rest. Many of us, myself included, have the tendency to go on and on without resting which leads us to fall into a slump. I decided to give myself the proper rest, and after I did that I was more ready to get to action.

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  • Thomasfowler2010

    Ive turned into someone i dont even know i went to prison for a crime i didn’t do lost my marriage and home reputation i don’t see no way out i just want to give up

  • helloMeghan33

    Don’t give up! Keep your head up. I know it can be difficult to believe in sometimes but everything happens for a reason. I myself have to work hard onnot giving up at times too after some of the very large obsticles that have been thrown infront of me. Just remember that you matter and you’ll get out of this funk sooon as long as you stay as positive as you can!!! Force yourself to smile its contageous, so you’ll make someone else smile and when you see that it might make you feel a little better. (It won’t fix things but it will be a good place to start!)

  • kymm.

    love ittt

  • http://step123s.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/comment-on-getting-back-on-track-5-ways-to-pull-yourself-out-of-a-slump-by-kymm/ Comment on Getting Back on Track: 5 Ways to Pull Yourself Out of a Slump by kymm. | step123s

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