You don't drown by going down in the water; you drown by staying there

If you are unfortunate enough to have fallen overboard from a boat without a life jacket and nobody sees you fall in then the only thing that is going to save you, or at least does its best to is your own survival instinct.

It is your bodies only response when you are faced with danger. To protect you from it. However, in a situation where the danger is all around you, such as water it also requires conscious decisions to be made such as you scream for help or start to swim towards safety.

There is only so much your body will do without intervention. It will tell you that this is not a good environment, you need to start shouting, swimming. It will also make available the chemicals like adrenalin for you to start swimming as if you were an Olympic athlete. The rest of it is you having to start to move things like your arms and legs.

Imagine if you did nothing! Well, of course, you would sink for a bit and ultimately drown. Now here is the question? If you could see somewhere of safety like the boat you fell off or a beach, would you accept the fact that the only choice you have is to do nothing and drown?

Other areas in life that we do nothing about

Just like being surrounded by water, our day to day lives can also be overwhelming. We also do nothing to help ourselves here too.

We get up, we go to work, we come home, eat dinner, and go to bed

Just like the 1993 film Groundhog Day we just accept that’s how things are, but we also get fed up and pissed off with it.

We’ve all heard those phrases “same shit, different day” and “the same old, same old”

It is almost like when these phrases are said that the person who has told them has accepted defeat, I won’t bother using my arms and legs to swim to safety I will just drown.

I am trying to understand why people do this. I accept and get that everyone has limitations which may prevent things happening. For instance, living with a disability may stop you from doing certain things.

For most people who are stuck in that rut and I will call it a rut because it can be derailed, it’s the fact that it feels safe. It’s not comfortable because all you have done is accept that you’re safe doing the same shit day in day out.

Key signs you are “stuck in a rut” (remaining in a negative situation in life)

Every day is the same

If you lose track of time or what day it is. We have all had that feeling when we think it’s Thursday when in fact it’s only Wednesday. One day rolls into another with the only indication that it is a different day is because at some point it got dark outside.

You’ve lost your motivation

When you have things that you know need doing or you want to do something new. Only to find you get up and go to start it has got up and gone before you even start it.

You have a feeling of unfulfillment

There is something you are missing from your life, but you cannot quite put your finger on it

You thrive for change but are afraid about the temporary uncomfortable feeling

You are aware that things need to change for a happier life, but you are resisting because it involves some risk. Staying where you are is more comfortable.

If you do the things you have always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got Henry Ford

Derailing yourself out of the rut

So great you have worked out that you’re living life in a rut, thanks for stating the obvious. There is nothing I can do to get out of it, so leave me alone to get on with my miserable life!

Wrong!

There are things that you can do which will dramatically change your life right now.

Start taking care of yourself. Your emotional health is vitally important to change. As is physical health. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Are you spending enough time with those that mean something to you? Are you getting enough physical exercises?

Change things up a bit. Have a new daily routine. We are by nature habitual, so do something different. Get up early so you’re not rushing around, if possible, walk to work instead of taking the car. Start a conversation with someone you have never spoken to before. Start a hobby. Do something on the spur of the moment.

Be with nature getting outside, whether that is going for a walk around the block or heading deep into the hills is by far one of the best things you can do to give you an uplift of emotions. The next time you feel overwhelmed just get outside. Be in the moment and enjoy your surroundings.

Find your meaning and purpose by finding something to look forward to has been proven to be fundamental to enhancing motivation. This could be something like looking forward to going on a shopping trip with a friend or going out on the piss with the lads on a Friday night. On the bigger side, it could be looking forward to going on a holiday