How To Get Out Of A Rut In this episode I am going to play counsellor for any readers who are downtrodden, thrown off balance, in a rut, or any of the other ways of saying down in the dumps. =+[General Overview]+= • Aim When thrown off balance and out of sorts, it is important to remember what we are aiming for. Sometimes the thing we were aiming for is lost to us, and other times we've only lost sight of it for a time. Everyone needs their basics. A great first aim is in getting the bad out of the way of the natural optimism that fuels a person's easy movement and joy. I know from my own experience being knocked down, that as I was getting back on my feet the re-introduction of any of my bad habits (such as puffing my vaporizer) amounted to a double-setback. When I was putting the rest of the day into recuperating and then I went to the vaporizer, or an excess of alcohol, it weighed double because there is no good answer to the question, "I am sweating out a lot of troubles. Not everything is in good standing yet. So what am I doing adding-in this thing that is contrary to my first aims?" When you're coming out of the dumps, restoring one's natural optimism for action, doing, going, movement, requires that a person be free of willful contradiction (an example of a contradiction is being on a quest for better health and using a strong recreational drug). First aims, then, include getting the bad out of the way and allowing the spirit of levity and optimism to grow. • Goal An aim and a goal. With the first aim working - that is, to be on the right track without contradiction - Goals become much more palatable. Goals become more visible, attainable. And enjoyable to have in mind and pursue. Pick a goal and keep moving to it with good aim. • Presence Awareness and presence. When someone has been thrown off track and lost their aim, really fallen into a rut, a strange habit of mind can take root. The unhappy habit to disregard the basic stuff that is in our control often sprouts up. Things such as making one's bed. Whether you're rolling out of bed in the throes of misery or keeping a good waking hour in the morning. Making the bed sounds so basic, and yes it is basically an easy thing to do. Why is it part of awareness and presence? Because making that bed gets us moving! It is not strenuous. Making the bed is a first way to shake off any lingering sleepiness. It covers up the sheets and bed so it isn't radiating our sleeping's smell, nor inviting us to get back into the bed while we sort out the wardrobe. In summary, making the bed gets us moving and is a first accomplishment. Takes 1 to 5 minutes. Gets the blood flowing. Adds a better aesthetic to the bedroom. More basics, then. Keeping up with the dishes, sweeping the floor, having a well-organized bathroom. These are all ways to start turning negatives into positives and breaking up old habits. There's more freedom to cook a quick meal when there are no dirty dishes in the way; more confident sure-footedness when the floor is clear of debris; and a more convenient, enjoyable time spent grooming when the bathroom is well-set. When someone's been down in the dumps for some time the things listed above are some first works that re-build the go-to, I can get it done attitude. • Regularity Living in a regular day-night cycle (the natural rising and setting of the sun is a good start) does a lot of good for a person. Why maintaining a regular waking schedule does a person good has many explanations. There's the fact that most of the rest of the world is working on a regular schedule. There are things we know about the body. Hormones tend to be released and imbibed by different organs on hourly schedules. These chemicals in the body produce activity that we identify as sensations, and associate with thoughts, which may be more or less energizing, optimistic, and/or pessimistic. When someone is totally out of a regular routine it becomes more difficult to separate the fact of whether a de-energizing, negative expectation (a pessimistic thought) comes from reality, that things really are not going to work out (And who knows the future?) or the negative simply comes from a hormone the body has to release as part of a healthy metabolism. Hormones are one convenient example. There's also the position of the sun and moon, the circadian rhythm, memory lane (as apposed to the activity of present-doing). The main takeaway here is that when a person is in a rut, it often means the spirit of their mind is flummoxed; its not working right, it is in pieces, distracted, and that makes a person more easily roiled into negative expectations by something as simple as a normal daily hormone cycle. =++=