ideas for getting out of a rut
 

I have no $$ to spare.
I'm bored out of my mind.
Life is in a rut
Need to shake it up.
Oh, did I mention, I have no $$ to spare?

Any ideas???

been there
 

I have been in a rut before, as I think everyone does at some point in their lives. Some ideas I can think of:

-take a long walk, run, yoga class or some other form of physical activity
- Get a tank of gas if you can, pack a lunch and take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway or in the hills if you have the time
- look into volunteer opportunities (habitat for humanity, red cross)
- have a girls night in, manicures, pedicures, try new things with make-up, just like a 7th grade slumber party
- call a friend/family member you have not spoken too in a while or e-mail them
- rearrange your furniture while listening to your favorite music turned up really loud(my favorite)

I know these are rather simplistic, but I hope things go better for you!!

Lastly,

SMILE
:D
Everyone on GC loves ya!!

Amycat, this is driving me nuts because I am trying to think of something. Whenever I'm in a rut I usually (a) resort to buying expensive handbags, which won't work for you with no $$$, and really doesn't solve anything or (b) retreat into the world of the novel I'm trying to write (which is also hard to do when in a rut because then I feel that I have absolutely nothing interesting to say).

Are you in a big life-relationships-career-everything rut, or a life-I'm-bored in general rut, or an I-feel-crappy-today rut, or some other type of rut?

valkyrie-
Its a big life-relationships-career-everything-I'm-bored in general -I-feel-crappy-this-month rut.

I am writing a novel too and trying to escape into that, but I am so restless it makes it hard to focus.


alphachiohmy-
rearrange your furniture while listening to your favorite music turned up really loud(my favorite)

my fav too. ha ha only when I do that I want to repaint/redecorate and the $$ is really an issue right now! LOL

thanks guys, keep em coming...

:)
Amy

Hell amycat, I am so broke I cannot pay for attention, and am so boring that I cannot stand my self!:D

Misery does not love company and sympathy is supposed to be between sh*^ and syphlis in the Dict. I dont have a Dict! :(

In every life , a little rain must fall, but you would think that sometimes there would be a silver ling on Sh^% house wall!:)

I am kind of an armchair expert on Ruts . . . The best way to get out of one (and I probably will not take my own advice, is to start simple and work out from there.

So, since a rut is usually a lack of activity, the trick is to start doing things not in your routine. So a walk is good, or bike ride. But the real trick is to write down at least 5 actions you can do that day on a to do list. That force you to be active, are not to complex, and break yoour pattern. Then you can worry about lifelong goals etc later that night:).

But if you don't write the stuff down, it won't really help that much.

Re: ideas for getting out of a rut
 

travel

travel costs $$$.

its the first thing that comes to mind, but I can't afford it right now.

not if you have friends that have money.

you can stay at my house for free.. ;)

No money + a rut = creative solutions
I agree that volunteer or charity work can definitely be a great way to get out of a rut and meet people. How about taking a class at a local community center or college? Maybe they have free or low cost cooking, swimming, knitting, computer, or painting classes. Many museums have suggested admission fees. You can suggest free. Good luck!

I like the "doing something for charity" suggestion. You'll get out, you'll meet new people, and you'll give back to the community. :) Hey, get a group together and go over to the local food bank!

Or take a day trip... pick a spot you've never been, get in the car and go there.

Call or email an old friend you haven't seen in a while, and get together for coffee.

There are endless possibilities, even on a tight budget. :)

Something that might be fun -- take a whole day where you have nothing scheduled. Make up a new identity for yourself, name, occupation, history (I don't mean anything complicated, just the basics; since you're a writer, it'll be easy). Go around town doing things that you never do and acting differently from how you normally act. Go to a nice hotel bar by yourself and have a drink while reading a book, go "shopping" and try on dumb expensive stuff that you'd never buy, get your nails done and speak with an accent, talk to people you wouldn't normally approach, or just anything, but all as your "new" identity. Wear clothes that you don't normally wear and just be someone else for a day.

I don't know -- it's just a thought. It's kind of like when you are in an airplane and suddenly you're seeing the same things you see every day, but from a radically different angle, only different. If this even makes sense...

Or, just start a writers' support group for frustrated novelists like me who instead of writing spend too much time on greekchat...;)

Hmmm, not to alter Amy's Thread, but people are forgeting that by their nature, ruts make it near impossible to do ambitious things. Ergo if you could do that thing you really wouldn't be in a Rut, you might just have been tired.

So here is a challenge for all you CREATIVE GC'ers, cause I am in a rut also, give us a 24 hour perscription we can start the next time we read this htread that will break our Rut pattern.

It has to match amy's limitations:

I have no $$ to spare.

I promise I'll try your suggestions for 24 hours and report back to you on whether it worked.

Best rut getter outer? Sex, bar none :) And it's free!!

Just kidding :)

I was getting really bored with life about 3 years ago, so I contacted my sorority on the national level and asked how I could help. Three years later, I'm a colony advisor, a regional advisor for 8 chapters and writing for the national magazine.

Careful what you wish for ;)