Getting out of a Funk

" No one can give you what you want but yourself" 

HI friend!

Ugh, I hate funks, but let’s face it- we all have them. For me, the two important things that help me, which is in my mission statement, CONNECTION and GRADITUDE. So, with the mission that GRADITUDE and CONNECTION generate change, it provides a powerful framework for understanding how shifting my perspective towards GRADITUDE and seeking CONNECTION can be catalysts for a positive shift change when feeling stuck. Focusing on GRADITUDE helps me shift my mindset from negativity to appreciation, creating an upward spiral in mood and outlook. Similarly, CONNECTING with others preventions isolations, provides support, encouragement, and fresh perspectives that can help me navigate challenges and move forward.

In general ,when you’re in a funk, you simply don’t feel like yourself. You might not know what you feel like, but you do know what you don’t feel like: happy, energetic, grateful, positive—or even like a regular person. In a nutshell, a funk feels like being closed-in, trapped, tucked away from everyone and everything. When you’re in a funk, you might not even be sure if you want to come out of the cozy little shell that has you blanked in near-misery. It’s important to know that being in a funk is an entirely normal part of being human. Everyone goes through a funk from time to time.

Here are 13 tips for how to get out of a funk:

1. Take Care of Your Body

A funk is all-encompassing, affecting what we think, how we feel emotionally and physically, and the way we act. Therefore, to beat it requires an approach that nurtures your entire being. Taking care of your physical health can have a positive outcome for your mental health as well. Here are some tips for positive self-care:

• Getting adequate sleep but not oversleeping: The average adult should sleep for seven to nine hours each night for optimum physical health and mental performance.

• Eating well: Proper nutrition is essential for optimal brain and body functioning. Avoid processed, junk, and fast foods and eat plenty of plant-based whole foods.

• Exercising: Movement is crucial for wellbeing, including getting yourself out of a funk. The “right” type of exercise is the one that you’ll do and enjoy enough to stick to. Choose exercise that elevates your heart and respiration rates to get the blood and oxygen flowing through your system.

• Managing stress: Take breaks, do pleasurable activities (even if they don’t feel pleasurable right away because of the funk), and make sure you’re getting enough sleep, exercise, and nutrition.

• Meditating: Offers numerous health benefits, both mental and physical, and can help reset your body-mind to release you from your funk. If you find it difficult to sit still, try a movement practice like yoga.

2. Seek & Create Meaning

Perhaps your funk is rooted in a lack of meaning or sense of purpose. Reflect on your values, those ideals you hold most dear. Are you living in accordance with them? If you discover that you’re just moving through life detached from them, design small action steps you can begin to take, starting now, to live with greater intention and purpose.

One way to start living with greater purpose is to create and engage in simple, meaningful rituals. You might start your day by quietly journaling, or take a break every afternoon to enjoy a mindful cup of tea (more on mindfulness next). Little acts like these help us pause and reflect on what is important to us one moment at a time.

3. Practice Mindfulness

A way of being with yourself and in your life that involves using your senses to live fully in each present moment. When we’re in a funk, we’re typically stuck in our own thoughts about how we feel, what’s wrong, and why we’re experiencing it. Mindfulness offers a vacation out of your head.

Better than a mere vacation, though, mindfulness is a permanent destination. When you live mindfully, you pay attention to what you see, hear, feel, smell, and sometimes taste right now, as you’re living in this moment without judging it. Sometimes, becoming untangled from our thoughts and immersing ourselves in what we’re doing and who we’re with offers joy and freshness that helps pull us out of our funk.

4. Appreciate Beauty

Taking time to appreciate beauty is an extension of both mindfulness and meaning. Being in a funk can make you feel like you’re living in an empty coloring book. Everything seems hollow, gray, and incomplete. When we focus on this sludge, this is what we notice. Appreciation of beauty and taking time to seek and appreciate beauty can be uplifting and boost your sense of well-being.

Try going for a mindful walk and purposefully looking for things that you find beautiful and inspiring. Spending time in nature yields numerous mental health benefits. If you can’t get outside, find beauty wherever you are right now. Find beauty in your own home, and look through magazines and photo albums, pausing to appreciate things you find beautiful.

5. Find Your Flow

Flow is another concept that comes to us from positive psychology. A funk involves being mired in the negative. Taking action—opposite action—by purposefully seeking and focusing on the positive in each moment is what ultimately beats a funk. When we’re in a state of flow, we’re fully engaged in something we enjoy so that all other thoughts and feelings drop away.

Sometimes, we get in a funk because we’re feeling bored with life. If you feel that this might be the case with you, experiment with finding activities that you find engaging and enjoyable and put you in a state of flow. Flow requires that an activity be neither too easy nor too frustrating, because in both cases the mind wanders and pleasure decreases. Recall past hobbies or activities that you used to find fun, or look into taking classes (in person or online) that excite you. Engaging in things that put you in a state of flow is a surefire way to get out of a funk. You can’t experience funk and flow at the same time.

6. Hone a Sense of Gratitude & Express It

GRADITUDE boosts happiness and decreases depression. Expressing GRADITUDE in writing or with words can make the experience even more powerful and meaningful. You might try writing in a GRADITUDE journal once per day (turn your journaling time into a meaningful ritual by creating a special place and making it cozy and comfortable, using a special pen, and/or sipping hot tea from a favorite mug while you do it).

You can simply jot down a few things for which you are GRATEFUL, like a smile from a stranger, healthy food easily accessible in your kitchen, playing catch with your child—the simple things (rather than big, spendy, temporary things like a trip around the world or a shiny new car) are the stuff of life and what makes us truly GRATEFUL and funk-free.

Being in a funk is a normal part of life, but you can use the strategies above to get out of your funk. Remember that everyone experiences a funk from time to time, so know that you’re not alone and that there’s nothing wrong with you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to funk-busting. The best way to feel better and move forward is to personalize your plan. Find ideas that resonate with you and focus on those.

Resist the temptation to implement too many changes at once, as it can be overwhelming and cause you to give up. Choose the one that speaks to you the most and stick with it to give it a chance to work. In a few days, replace it with a different one or keep it and add one more. Listen to yourself, honor who you are, and not only will you find that your funk lifts, but perhaps you’ll have created a new approach to creating your quality life.

What are your tips to get out of a funk?

XO Jenna