Being stuck in a rut can drag you down, make you feel depressed, or as if life is something you just go through but have long since stopped enjoying. You become this way slowly without even realizing it, until one day you wonder what happened and when.

Sometimes routine can start to get us down, leave us with a feeling of dissociation and start causing problems in relationships, work and daily life in general, we gradually become unhappy.

Here are some tips to help you stay in a rut, to never take back control over you life, stay unhappy and get out of the rut.

1. Never take up a new hobby, or you could end up giving yourself some times throughout the day to just enjoy something you like doing.

2. At meal times never try something different, or you could end up with either a different recipe or a different take out, or worst of all try foods from different cultures.

3. Never go out and meet new people. Joining a gym, club or attending a self-improvement class or hobby class are no-go areas.

4. Never drive a different way to work or walk or start bicycling, not only will this break the rut you are in, but it may also get you fitter.

5. Never make any small changes around the home or work area.

6. Never de-clutter your home or work area; it is surprising how being surrounded by clutter can really help to get you down.

7. Never take up a new sport. This is a danger area as there are many types of sport and all are designed to make you fitter.

8. Be careful not to do something that is totally out of character for you, as you may only start off with small changes but before you know it, you will work your way up to bigger ones.

9. If you are stuck at home with children then never change your routine throughout the day, make sure you always do the same chore at the same time.

10. Never do anything that is different to your normal routine. You could do something as simple as taking a short break and going for a walk, sitting down to read a chapter of a book or any other hobby or pastime you once enjoyed. To stay in a rut do not do any of these.

For many of us our daily life is governed by some form of routine, which we cannot avoid, for example going to work 8 hours a day, taking the kids to school each morning, this is daily life and routine, which for the most part cannot be changed. Another reason behind routine is the safety barrier; we get comfortable with our lives and feel secure in our rut, so why change?