If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, support is available right now – call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7.
Everyone has stretches where life becomes difficult.
The things you usually enjoy feel flat, small tasks feel heavy, and the days start blurring together. If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken and you’re not alone – slumps like this are a lot more common than you would expect.
The frustrating thing about a slump is that the way out usually involves doing things, and doing things is exactly what feels impossible.
That’s why we decided to share the 5 best tips for getting out of these types of slumps, focused around starting small and slowly building as you gain momentum.
1. Shrink the first step until it’s almost laughably easy
The first thing to do is make the first step you take as easy as possible.
This can be difficult, because your brain will try to push you toward an ‘all-in’ approach – start going to the gym, clean your entire apartment, and so on. Tasks like this can seem impossible to even attempt when you are in a slump.
Therapists often use an approach called behavioral activation, and the core idea is simple: action tends to come before motivation, not after it. You don’t wait to feel like doing something – you do a tiny version of it, and the feeling follows.
So what you need to do is simple- shrink the step. Not “clean the kitchen” – put one dish in the dishwasher. Not “go for a run” – put your shoes on and step outside. If the tiny version leads to more, great. If it doesn’t, you still did the thing, and that counts. A slump is broken one small completed action at a time.
2. Get your body moving – gently
Exercise has a strong track record for lifting low mood, but the word “exercise” can feel repulsive, especially if it isn’t a part of your regular routine to behin with.
Again, lower the bar – even a 5-minute walk can be a great starting point, or doing a quick 10-minute stretching routine inside.
Movement helps on several levels at once – it changes your physiology, it interrupts rumination, and it gives you a small, undeniable win. If you can get that movement outside in daylight, even better; natural light, especially earlier in the day, supports the sleep and energy rhythms that slumps tend to knock sideways.
3. Reach out to one person
Low moods are isolating by design – when energy is low, spending any effort toward socializing can seem counterintuitive.
The problem is that isolation feeds the slump, leading you to become more isolated and on and on.
You don’t need to organize a big event, even sending one text to a friend can be a good starting point.
If you feel up to it, calling a friend or organizing to meet up for a coffee can be great starting points.
4. Steady the basics: sleep, meals, and a loose routine
When you’re in a slump, your routine can get thrown all over the place.
It’s very important to try to keep some kind of schedule to your day, and again you can start with small improvements here.
For example, try to wake up at the same time each day, and schedule your meals for roughly the same times each day.
Pick one fixed point in your day – a morning shower, a walk after lunch – and protect it. Routines won’t cure a low mood on their own, but they create the stable ground that recovery stands on.
It’s also worth being honest about the things that quietly make slumps worse: alcohol, doomscrolling late at night, and long stretches in bed during the day all tend to deepen the hole even when they feel comforting in the moment.
5. Talk to yourself like someone you’re rooting for
Notice the narration that runs through a slump: I’m lazy. Everyone else manages fine. What’s wrong with me? That inner critic feels like motivation, but it works like an anchor – shame drains the exact energy you’re trying to recover.
Try a simple swap: when you catch the harsh voice, ask what you’d say to a good friend going through the same week.
You’d probably say something like, “You’re going through a rough patch, and you’re still showing up. That’s not nothing.” Self-compassion isn’t letting yourself off the hook – research consistently links it to more resilience and follow-through, not less. Be on your own side. It’s hard to climb out of a hole while criticizing yourself for being in one.
When a slump might be something more
Most slumps ease with taking small actions and time.
But sometimes a low mood digs in. If it’s been hanging around for a few weeks, if it’s affecting your work, relationships, sleep, or appetite, or if you’ve stopped caring about things that used to matter to you, that’s not a sign you’ve failed at self-help – it’s a sign you deserve more support than self-help can offer.
That’s exactly what therapy is for. At Nexum, our licensed therapists provide depression counseling and support for low mood, stress, and everything in between, with convenient appointments for clients across Illinois, Texas, and New Mexico.
You don’t need to wait until things feel unbearable to reach out – in fact, the earlier you do, the easier the climb tends to be. Book an appointment or call us at (774) 515-4207 to get started.
And if you’re ever having thoughts of harming yourself, please don’t wait – the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there for you any time, day or night.