Hey, friends! We all have times when we’re feeling stuck in life, so let’s talk about how to get out of a rut and start living again.

You might be thinking that’s impossible. “But Bryn, I’m stuck in a place I hate,” you might say. It may not be feasible to move to a different city, change who you’re living with, change your school or work situation, or miraculously change your health situation. I understand what that’s like!

For some of us, it may not even be that our life is horrible. But it’s boring. We’ve been in the same situation for many years. We feel like everyone else is celebrating triumphs and taking exotic vacations while we’re sitting on the sofa eating potato chips.

There have been a few times when I’ve asked myself, Why do I feel stuck in life?, only to realize that I was being a prisoner of my own routines.

While I was waiting for big things to change—or despairing that they never would—I wasn’t focusing on things that were in my control.

When we break up the monotony of our days, try some new things, and switch up our habits, it makes life more interesting. The days don’t all run together in a gray blur: they’re memorable. And we prove to ourselves that we still have some control over our lives.

Here are 50 suggestions for how to get unstuck! I’ve organized them into different categories. I have five “big life changes” at the end, but most of these are small things…because even small things can make a big difference! Many of them are cheap or free. See if there are a few that work for you!

Nature

1. Get up early and go somewhere scenic to watch the sun rise.

2. Watch the full moon rise (after sunset, but the timing depends on where you are.)

3. Lie on a blanket outside in a park, your backyard, or any green space. Watch the clouds…or close your eyes for a few minutes and just listen to the sounds.

4. Take a walk in a park or on a trail you’ve never been to before.

5. Play recordings of rain or ocean waves while you work or while you sleep.

Body and Beauty

6. Go to bed right at a certain time for a week to see how you like it.

7. Try a completely new kind of exercise routine (there are millions of them on YouTube!)

8. Get a manicure or pedicure, with or without polish. Men can get them, too!

9. Get a meaningful tattoo from a skilled tattoo artist.

10. Try a new hair tutorial, makeup tutorial, skincare routine, or DIY beauty treatment.

Reading

I’m sure nobody’s surprised to see me make a category for this!

11. Read a book in a genre you’ve never read before. Western? Sports fiction? The BISAC codes for fiction can give you some ideas.

12. Read a nonfiction book on a topic about which you know absolutely nothing.

13. Listen to an audiobook for a half hour every day…while lying in bed doing absolutely nothing else.

14. Read poetry in translation.

15. Treat yourself to a whole afternoon at the library.

Creating

16. Try out a couple of drawing exercises. You can get a book about drawing, or find free exercises online.

17. Make a comic strip…just for your own amusement.

18. Write a poem! You can get inspiration from my post about easy poetry exercises and prompts.

19. Try a craft you’ve never tried before…or return to a craft you used to love and haven’t done in a while.

20. Check out my directions on how to make a vision board online and try it for yourself!

Culture

21. Watch a movie from a foreign country you’ve never seen a movie from before.

22. Listen to a new podcast.

23. Go to a free concert.

24. Go to a free museum or gallery opening.

25. Take a free online art history course through Khan Academy.

Food and Drink

26. Try 10 foods you’ve never tried before.

27. Try making a recipe you’ve never tried before.

28. For the ambitious: make a list of national cuisines from A to Z…Armenian, Brazilian, Cuban, Danish, and so on. Try out a recipe from every cuisine.

29. …or just go to a restaurant to try a kind of cuisine you’ve never had before.

30. Order something you never order at a coffee shop.

Relationships

31. Send a letter or card to someone to surprise them and brighten up their day.

32. Set up a Zoom or FaceTime with someone you’re missing.

33. Bombard your partner, your family members, or your Facebook friends with compliments and appreciation for a solid week.

34. Start going on weekly dates with your partner. You can get some inspiration from my post on cheap date ideas!

35. Go to an event on Meetup.com (many of them are online) to connect with new people…and maybe make a new friend.

Spirituality

36. Meditate or pray every day for a week.

37. Do a good deed or act of kindness every day for a week.

38. Attend a religious service at a church, mosque, or temple you’ve never visited before.

39. Try one of my gratitude journal prompts.

40. Forgive someone. As Louise Hay says, this can free you from being “stuck in the prison of self-righteous resentment.”

Little Adventures

41. Ride on a boat or a ferry…

42. Or go canoeing.

43. Tour a historic place.

44. Spend some time in a neighborhood or nearby community you haven’t explored before.

45. Figure out the best day trip in a two-hour radius of where you live, and do it.

Big Life Changes!

46. Stop being a member of a group you don’t enjoy.

47. Quit your addiction—alcohol, social media, overeating, overspending, overwork, or whatever it may be. It’s taken enough from you already.

48. Get your anger issue under control once and for all. No more pointless arguments; no more yelling. It’s hurting you as much as everyone else.

49. Stop rushing…unless you’re literally a first responder or a competitive sprinter or something like that. Take the time to do things right and respect your own dignity. Kings and queens don’t rush.

50. Stop giving time to regrets and guilt about the past or fears about the future, and find a little joy in the present day.

Would any of these work for you? Do you have experiences with breaking out of a routine or getting out of a rut? Please share in the comments below…we’d love to hear about it! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great week!