How To Rebound (And No, I’m Not Talking about your Ex)

We humans sometimes get into a rut. We’ve all been there.

You know; it’s the feeling of being unmotivated, lazy, stressed or even resistant.

And while there are a plethora of other blog posts out there talking about “how to start exercising again” or “how to get things done,” this post is going to be different. Most posts will tell you believe in yourself! and picture success, which is nice but personally, I’d much rather be doing something. We’re going to talk about stuff you actually do to build a wall, and get over it. Shit’s about to get real on G&J.

Like I said, we all have days or weeks or months of just not feelin’ it. It could have something to do with fitness, school or work. No matter what, here’s a list of things you can consciously do to bounce back. Here’s how to get that rebound:

1. Hit the floor/wall/ceiling first.

Before bouncing back up, you have to hit the bottom. It’s a law of physics. Now, this doesn’t mean skipping work for five days or eating three cakes in a day (although props to you, that would be quite impressive). Just take an afternoon or a day to stop trying to push yourself and just be. Accept whatever you’re not doing or whatever’s nagging you. Don’t think about how to fix it. Just be. Go do something you like. Seriously, just be.

Related Post: How to Make Running Interesting

2. Starting thinking about how to rebound in tiny steps.

Now that you’ve had your day off, you don’t have jump right back into trying-to-force-yourself-to-do-stuff-mode. Think about small things you can really do to get your stuff done but don’t necessarily do them. Need to exercise? Think about putting on sneakers, walking out of your house and starting to run. See, that’s not so hard. Have an essay to write? Google videos on your topic. You’re not aaaactually doing work but you’re learning about your topic. Anyway, do you reeeeeally need to that essay yourself? Homework help sites like edupeet offer a service where you can pay for an experienced writer to craft your essay for you, meaning that you can reap the full reward of a great essay, without putting in the full effort of a great essay.

Related Post: Making Your Own Workout Routine

3. Trick yourself.

Hopefully, now that you’ve tricked yourself into actually thinking you’re going to do something, if you feel enough motivation, do it! Congrats! You’ve rebounded.
If you’re still not feeling it, that’s totally fine. Go back to just being but keep thinking of little steps. Eventually, try pushing yourself just to lay out your running clothes or scribble some ideas about that essay prompt on a sticky-note by your desk. This’ll hopefully get the ball rolling.

Optional 4. If you still can’t get in the mood, a bit of force might help.

If you’ve been really thinking about running for a week and your heart even wants you to go running, you might just have to head out there and let your mind catch up. Friends can also be great help for this. Tell your friends not to give you the wifi password until you’ve written an outline to your essay. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll be itching for google to find out more and then a full essay might just be born.

5. Post-rebound.

The most important thing on this list might be this: don’t burn out. It’s easy to get caught up in your newfound super-motivation. Contrary to how you might feel, going for a run twice a day or doing all your essays for the semester all at once isn’t the best idea. Burning out can be even worse that being in a rut in the first place.

So there you have it! Five easy and actually-doable steps on how to rebound. And know that while they’re fairly simply, they are easier said than done. Just give yourself time.

What are your tips for getting back in gear? Do you like these motivational-type posts?

*header image from here