Stuck in a rut? One simple tweak will get you out

You have that feeling again. You're bored, and irritated all of the time.

You are yelling constantly at the kids, and sniping at your husband. You are stressed, and behind on a deadline at work. Oh, and you just remembered that you have to bake 3 dozen cupcakes for the school bake sale on Saturday and your Mother-In-Law is visiting next week!

Everyone has bad days (or even bad weeks), but when it extends beyond that, you are in a rut. And things can go down hill pretty quickly, so you want to unstick yourself as soon as possible once you realize what is happening.

Understand that your boredom / bad mood is just a surface reaction to something much deeper. You are yelling at your kids, but it's not really about the shoes all over the porch. It's about feeling disrespected when others don't listen to you, and the resentment that comes with having to do everyone yourself.

There is one simple thing you can do to pull yourself out of that downward spiral that leads to anger and arguments: Bring yourself back into the moment.

Anger, boredom, frustration and resentment all come from one place, not now. That is, they are from the future or the past. Instead of being in the moment, you are caught up in a story. Your mind is filling in the blanks, and making assumptions, and getting upset. You have scripts in your head that replay over and over again. Until you break them, they will continue to replay and cause you grief.

The simplest ways to avoid this all together? Teach yourself to recognize the signs of a rut! Whenever you start to feel anger, or fear or frustration, stop. Then ask yourself what story in being played in your mind. Don't struggle against the feeling, but recognize it for what it is (a story). Regain your power by remaining in the moment.

Whenever unhappiness creeps into your life, it is important to recognize what is going on before it turns into a rut. Knowing your authentic self is the best way to do this.