5 Ways to Get Out of Your “Funk”
It happens to us all at one point or another, right? We get into a funk.
We can’t be “high” all the time–it’d be unnatural. Lows are a part of life, unfortunately. Balance, moderation, and all that. If you’re an exception to this rule, then please comment below what your secret is, for all our sake (:
As someone who just spent the whole last weekend being a hermit in my apartment and avoiding social interaction, I know how it is.
So from personal experience, I put together five ways that usually help me get out of the hole, for everyone out there going through the same thing. Whether you need them today, tomorrow, or next month, these tips might be good to have in the back of your mind so you don’t fall too deep in!
- Before you start being too hard on yourself, the first thing you should do is actually give yourself a break. Putting too much pressure on yourself when you’re feeling down might just overwhelm you and make you feel worse. I’ve realized personally that when I don’t want to be around people, it’s usually because I don’t have enough energy to put on the extrovert face with people I’m not close to. It’s because I really do need to recharge. I’ve many times forced myself to go out, go to coffee, dinner, or whatever with people because I told myself I needed to, but I always kind of regret it. I’m literally incapable of socializing at a certain point–it’s just a drained feeling. It’s hard to understand for extroverts, but for the rest of us, we feel this way after being around people a lot for a reason. Listen to your intuition and don’t force it. Spend time with yourself when it’s needed.
- Just because you’re getting some “me time” in though, doesn’t mean you have to be depressed. Do something that makes you feel good about yourself. For me, that’s usually knowing I did a good job at work, and knowing I’m at least working toward my goals with writing. I’ve been doing some bigger projects than I used to–there’s zero instant gratification with them, so I’ve been falling into a lot of “funks” lately, but getting little bits done here and there and reminding myself to be patient keeps me from losing sight of the goal. Work on something that gives you some kind of gratification. Add shorter-term projects if you’re in my boat, too. Don’t let yourself start feeling like you don’t serve a purpose in the world.
- If your problem isn’t a lack of purpose, and you feel needed/appreciated enough in your every day life, then the answer for you might be to get away. Of course I’m biased and would tell everyone to travel, but honestly, just escape. That can come in a lot of different forms. If you don’t have the time or the money to travel, reading a really interesting book that gives you a little break from reality for awhile is just as good. If you can’t get motivated to read, then you can always get lost in an addicting show. I see no reason why this would be a bad option if you already have the gratifying life-purpose part down! A lot of people party or do drugs to “get away,” but there are definitely other options.
- Workout. For me, it’s yoga. Sometimes it’s hard for me to even do that, but once I finally make myself, it’s a domino effect. You just have to get the momentum going (an object in motion, stays in motion and all that). Even if you don’t have any fitness or weight loss goals, it really will get you motivated to accomplish other things, feel better about yourself, and stop feeling so down.
- Organize/clean your space. My mom always tells me this one, and I hate how right she is! It’s hard to do when you really don’t feel like doing anything, but once you finally can get yourself to start, the domino effect is in play once again. According to www.fulfillmentdaily.com, “clean homes and organized spaces are proven to reduce stress, improve happiness, and even improve your eating and exercise habits.” So there ya go.
So the common theme here is basically that once you accomplish one thing, you’ll want to keep accomplishing more. The more confident and purposeful you feel, the less often you’ll be in a funk. It’s okay to be in one, it’s just not okay to stay there.
Comment your thoughts! Any tips that you’ve found help you? Share them for the sake of #MondayMotivation :)
