Depression ruts can feel like an endless cycle, a heavy fog that takes over our thoughts and weighs down our spirits. When we're caught in its grip, it's easy to feel like we're stuck, with no clear way out.
But remember, you're not alone, and this feeling isn't permanent. The path back to your joy and inner peace may seem daunting, but it is entirely possible when you’re ready to do so.
In this article, I’ll share practical ways to guide yourself out of the addictive rut you’ve found yourself in. The good news is that these depressive ruts create such a desire within to rebalance ourselves that it’s much easier than we anticipate it to be.
What is a depression rut
A depression rut is when we’ve gotten ourselves into a repeating cycle of self-destructing behavior or habits. These behaviors or habits give us a pleasurable dopamine hit every time we engage with them, despite this “pleasure” leaving us feeling much worse.
It’s like a drug addict who takes the drug to feel better, even though the drug keeps them in a perpetual cycle of pain and disconnection from themselves.
Self-destructing behavior or habits can be anything that you use to distract yourself that lowers your vibration. Typically, when we’re in a depression rut where we’re doing things that lower our vibration, we are NOT doing the things that raise our vibration, furthering the disconnection from self.
Why does this happen? Usually, something in our lives can feel too overwhelming to deal with, or we’ve let our minds wander into negative thinking and become sloppy with our self-love and mindset. Either way, whether it’s something big or simple boredom, we’ve gotten into a repeating cycle that feels difficult to break out from.
This is because the law of attraction always attracts more of what you put your attention on. So, when we’re in these ruts, we’re attracting more of the same. The good news is that you can use the law of attraction to shift out of a depression rut with your desire, clarity, and shift of focus.
Signs you’re in a depression rut
Everyone feels and reacts differently to being in a depression rut, but here are some common signs that indicate you could be stuck in one:
- Feeling like you aren’t in control of yourself
- Feeling despaired often
- Feeling the need to partake in a behavior/habit that leaves you feeling low afterward
- Not having personal integrity (“the quality of being truthful and honest with yourself and others, of intentionally aligning your personal behaviors and actions to be aligned with your own values, principles, and ethics.” - LumenLearning)
- Minimal excitement or joy for life
How to get out of a depression rut
The following suggestions are practical, powerful, and tangible steps you can begin taking today if you strongly desire to get out of your depression rut (which I assume you are if you’re reading this article).
The desire to shift your energy has to be yours—no one else’s. When you can feel the desire to make a change, it’s time, and you’re ready to do this.
1. Create a map out
Creating a map that will lead you out of this rut starts with identifying and clarifying where you are and where you want to go.
This is always my first step for anything: identify your current feelings and then clarify how you want to begin feeling. This is the foundation for building a new vision of yourself that you want to step into.
It’s important to identify how you’re currently feeling because this is what you want to move away from. I always get out a journal sheet and start with, “I am currently feeling…”. Identifying how I’ve been feeling makes it much easier to clarify how I want to begin feeling.
This is exactly what I write next: “How I want to begin feeling…” Writing out how you want to feel pivots you in a new direction instantly. This is why it’s very powerful to write out how you want to feel every day (this takes less than one minute).
Do this, and then note how often you encounter people and experiences that give you the very feeling you write down in the morning.
2. Pinpoint self-destructing behaviors
You’re in a depression rut because you are in a cycle of self-sabotaging in some way. Whether it be drinking, excessive phone scrolling, being a workaholic, etc, you are doing something that feels good when you initially do it because you’re getting a dopamine hit. Then, later, you feel awful because it lowers your vibration.
Make a list of the behaviors or habits you engage in daily that you do not feel good about. Even if it’s societally acceptable behavior (such as our society rewarding the notion of “working hard”), write it down on your list if it leaves you feeling disconnected from yourself, depressed, ashamed, or in a lower vibration.
3. Create a list of uplifting actions
There are things you can do that you know will make you feel better, such as spending time with a pet or going to bed early. Make a list of actions that make you feel good, uplifted, or that raise your vibration.
Sometimes I’ve looked at my life as if I were a Sim. Did you ever play that game? It’s like playing virtual dolls, but you create a character and then make all of their decisions for them. You can see how well your Sim is doing by the color of their Needs bar.
Your Sim is happy and doing well when they're in the green. When it starts to turn yellow, your Sim is beginning to stress. Once a bar turns red, your Sim is exhausted, unhappy, and in serious need of self-care.
So what I mean is, I can look at my own life and think, “If Jessica were a Sim, what decisions would I make in order to maintain her well-being?” Sure, initially, if Jessica looks at her phone, the Fun bar goes up a little in green, but then begins to decrease rapidly, along with all her other bars.
Naturally, she wants to look at her phone because her fun bar increases, but I know she will crash if I let her do that. Therefore, I’d pick a different activity for her to do that raises all her bars and makes her truly happy.
What activities/actions/habits make you feel really good? That leave you feeling connected to yourself? That feel like soul food and bring life back into you?
4. Do a three-day fast
I’m not talking about food! I’m talking about doing a three-day fast from the destructive behaviors you’ve been engaging in that have you in a depression rut.
There are a few reasons for this. The first is that you will be giving yourself a dopamine reset. Addictive behaviors, whether related to substances like drugs and alcohol or activities like gambling and excessive screen time, often hijack the brain's reward system, primarily involving the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Initial abstinence from these behaviors can help reset dopamine levels, which can start the process of normalizing brain chemistry. While three days might not completely reset dopamine pathways, it can initiate a change that can make subsequent abstinence easier.
Additionally, studies have shown that short-term abstinence can lead to changes in receptor sensitivity. For instance, in nicotine addiction, even a brief period without smoking can begin to restore nicotinic receptor sensitivity, making it easier to manage cravings and eventually quit.
Charles Duhigg, in his book The Power of Habit, discusses the habit loop of cue, routine, and reward. By abstaining for even a short period, individuals can disrupt this loop and begin to rewire their habits.
So whatever your chosen method of self-sabotage is, challenge yourself to take a three-day break from it. Just think, it could be the first three days of forever that you never return to that habit again.
5. Write a new story
Once you’ve done everything above, you’ve definitely stopped the law of attraction momentum you had going that was keeping you in a depression rut. The most fun thing about the law of attraction is that it will give you more of whatever you focus on.
You don’t have to want to manifest a million dollars or a mansion. Maybe you just love the idea of inner stillness and flow, and now that you’re focusing on behaviors/actions that give you these feelings, you’ll keep attracting more of that.
Writing out how you want your life to be periodically is very powerful. With your newfound clarity and inspiration, really think about your ideal life and how you would like it to be. I have a worksheet for this in my Manifestation Journal if you’d like some guidance, but simply writing out your ideal life as if it’s in the now is a very potent and fun law of attraction practice.
Feel Better Morning Journal Sheet
I created the Feel Better Morning Sheet for this article, which you can access on my Patreon. It's a very simple, straightforward morning sheet that can help you get out of any negative rut.
It's in PDF form and can be printed or used in apps. I use mine in the Notability app. I hope you find it useful!
EXPLORE FURTHER
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you.
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With love,
Jessica
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