During this pandemic period, you may recognize that you are in a rut, yet you’re not quite sure how to pull yourself out. Although it might feel insurmountable, there are ways to free yourself:

  1. Determine why you are in the rut
  2. Chart a course out
  3. Stay on your course

Dr. Angela Stowe, director of Student Counseling Services at the University of Alabama Birmingham, encourages anyone who is feeling stuck to practice the four Rs of resiliency. She advises that resiliency is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the stronger it will become.

Her recommendations include:

  • Recognize: “Name it, acknowledge it and accept how you feel about it,” Dr. Stowe emphasizes.
  • Reframe: Stowe explains, “A growth mindset realizes that failure is not permanent… Failure is an opportunity to do something different. And now you know something you don’t want to do.”
  • Reflect: “Stop and ask yourself, ‘Is what I’m doing what I want to be doing and what I need to be doing?’... Take a careful look, and make decisions about what you might need to let go or take on to get you where you need to go,” Dr. Stowe recommends.
  • Reach out: “Make connections and seek the resources and people you need to support you,” Dr. Stowe counsels.

Then, ask yourself questions such as:

  • How will you recognize when one of your triggers is holding you back?
  • What is your plan for moving past it?
  • What are two small steps you can take this week to climb out of the rut?
  • What is a bigger step that you can take this month to climb out of the rut?

Read more about it here.

And find out more about Getting Unstuck, as well as 9 other student topics, in our new 10 Student Mental Health & Well-Being Workshops Training Guide.