Raise Your Hand If You Want To Get Out of Your Funk
“It’s okay that you don’t know how to move on. Start with something easier… like not going back.”
IDENTIFY THE FUNK AND MOVE ON
Raise your hand if you feel that something is holding you back from moving forward. Raise your hand if you want to be free from it! I have been there so many times in my life, in fact, I recently had to unpack this question as I started to explore and move in a new direction. It is a new day, a new week, a new month, and a new year. So, what is holding you back? Do you feel like you are in a funk? Perhaps there is no real crisis, no big reason, or no individual that has brought on the funk. The feeling and thoughts of being in a funk can be for a number of reasons or no reason at all. You may find that your funk has no specific cause or special event behind it. So how much time do you put into figuring out the funk?
1. Ask yourself why you feel this way and unpack the WHY? Invest the time to explore this question. (See my Unpacking section below.)
2. Are you holding back from taking a necessary step forward or holding back on making a known decision? Why?
"No one really has a bad life. Not even a bad day. Just bad moments,” Author Regina Brett
STOP THE FUNK
Are you ready to get out of the FUNK? Are you ready to start a new path? You don’t need a new day to start over. You only need a new mindset. You are just one decision away from changing your course and your destiny.
IF YOU ARE IN A FUNK – SHAKE THINGS UP: When you shake things up, you hit the RESET button on your mindset and your brain. You are creating a new mindset pathway by putting your brain and mindset in an unfamiliar situation. This creates a short circuit to your FUNK.
Have you ever taken a different route to work? When you do that, what happens…you notice things you never saw before because it is new. You become more aware of your surroundings because it is unfamiliar. Trying new things like a hobby, eating at a new restaurant, or doing a new exercise routine…you are shaking things up and allowing a RESET to take place and replace the FUNK. Just remember the only requirement is that you're doing something you don't usually do.
THIS TOO SHALL PASS SO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUNK: Did you know that researchers have found that when we're feeling any kind of negative emotion(s) we can make it less severe by acknowledging it and putting a label on it.
GRATITUDE: Turning to gratitude is a solution for so many things. It shifts your mindset from worry, fear or negativity to hope, faith, and/or a positive mindset. It interrupts your thoughts and reduces stress and depression.
DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP: Give yourself grace and permission to be in this funk and the feelings that come with it. Don’t deny you are in a funk because that just buries your reality….accept it, explore it, name it and take a step forward.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE: There are so many others in the world, at this moment, who feel like they are in a funk. It is common and not abnormal so know that the company you are in is normal.
LOOK AT HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME: When you’re in a funk, it can feel like nothing’s worthwhile because you’re not making any progress towards things in your life…but you are. Take the time to look back and see the progress in your life and celebrate them.
LAUGH AND THEN LAUGH AGAIN: Watch a funny movie or a comedy show. We know the benefits of laughing and it is a great way to get out of a funk. When you laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it induces physical changes in your body such as: enhancing your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulating your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increasing the endorphins that are released by your brain…just to name a few.
START UNPACKING THE FUNK
If I feel stuck or in a funk, I start to unpack it. I go back to the two questions I asked you at the beginning of this blog. I unpack my thoughts, feelings, and what (if any) is holding me back or keeping me in a funk.
Have you ever moved from one location to another, and you have a lot of boxes that moved with you? What happens...some boxes get put aside for another day to "unpack.” Later, you start to unpack it. Wow, you are surprised and excited at what you find in the box, right? Then you move to the next box in anticipation of what you will find in it. Unpacking boxes can be exciting because you don't always know what you will discover.
Unpacking "yourself" by asking YOU important questions can be a time of reflection, healing, growth, and the start of a new chapter. The good news is that you don't have to have it all figured out today! Just start unpacking.
REMEMBER, IT IS AN INSIDE JOB – in the end, you are the key player to get out of the funk. No one can do it for you. Dancing, laughing, and being with others definitely play a part in getting out of the funk. However, don’t forget to look within. Don’t be afraid to take some time to just sit with your feelings, they won’t bite you.
What will you unpack today?
Let’s start there…keep moving forward my friend, you’ve got this!
