Everyone has the occasional bad day or even the occasional bad week, but an ongoing rut at work could be harmful to your mental well-being and professional success.

When you’re in a rut, you don’t do your best work and can become disengaged from parts of your job that used to inspire you. Over time, your supervisor may recognize your low productivity, and this can negatively impact your career moving forward. All of this feeds into a negative cycle that is hard to get out of.

When you’re caught in a professional rut, ignoring the issue and attempting to plow through isn’t usually the solution. Finding the root cause and addressing it is a long-term solution that also provides insight on how to steer clear of this situation down the road.

Think about the following tips to get out of your current rut or head-off one in the future.

Self-Reflect

Start addressing the issue by thinking about what got you into this rut in the first place. The root cause may not even be work-related. The stresses of personal issues can follow you to the office.

Conversely, the culprit might be your job. Not every work atmosphere is encouraging and supportive. Toxic environments can be a significant source of frustration and can leave you feeling drained.

Try to ascertain if you’re reacting to emotional or physical stress. If your slump is caused by fatigue from overexertion, the cause is simply a normal physical response. Giving yourself time to rest and recuperate may be all you need, but you can also get more sleep, eat healthier, and set aside time to relax.

If your rut is due to emotional exhaustion, you may need a more-involved approach, like working through a difficult relationship or talking to a therapist.

Take an Extended Break

When you’re locked in a cycle of fatigue and stress, it can be difficult to clear your head and get some perspective. Taking a long weekend off from work can be enough to reset your internal hard drive and allow you to see solutions that weren’t obvious before.

Maybe you’ll realize you need to take the next step in your career, or perhaps you might find you need to change careers altogether. But you may not come to that realization if you don’t step off the hamster wheel for a bit.

Re-Organize Your Priorities

Trying to juggle too many things at once can cause unnecessary stress and set off a cycle of negativity. Despite your best efforts, extreme multitasking can cause you to fall behind.

You can restore lost momentum by recovering your focus. Concentrate on getting your most important task done, then move on to the next one.

At Action Group Staffing, we help hardworking professionals get career momentum by connecting them with best-fit job opportunities. If you’re currently looking to take the next step on your career path, please contact us today.