6 Things to Help You Get Out of a Funk
We all experience funks - periods of time where we just feel off emotionally. Things feel bigger and heavier. You might feel ill-equipped to carry out your dream. You might doubt that you're working toward the right dream at all. Your determination levels could be at an all time low. The way funks manifest in our lives is different for everyone but we all have them.
In this post, I'm sharing 6 things you can do to help you navigate through a funk.
My last funk was in November. It was like a 2-week period of time where I questioned EVERYTHING I was doing work-wise. I wondered why it was taking me so long to accomplish certain goals. I asked myself if what I was doing for work was sustainable or even mattered. I contemplated throwing in the Hustle Sanely towel and going to apply for a job at Lululemon...seriously.
Y’all know how much I love my job. It’s a major deal to me - I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So then I was upset that I was feeling so off about my job. And it was just this web of negative energy yanking at me. I tell you this because I want you to know you’re not alone.
Before I share how I navigate a funk, I do want to say that if you are experiencing severe mental health issues consistently go seek medical help - speak with a certified therapist or counselor. I went to therapy for a few months in 2019 and it helped me so much. I learned a lot of tools that I still use to this day and will continue to use, I’m sure. The advice I’m giving today is not a replacement for medical mental health advice. I am not a mental health professional (surprise, lol) and the benefits of seeking help should not be undermined by anything I say here, cool?
Okay so what do I do when I find myself in this place of a funk? I am going to share 6 strategies that really help me and have helped a lot of my clients and students get out of a funk:
01. Unpack the funk through journaling.
Instead of trying to avoid funks, we should spend our energy unpacking them in order to get to the root cause of why we’re there. It’s tempting to turn a blind eye to negative feelings or to try and mask over them with false positivity but it’s so important to dig in and figure out WHY we are feeling certain things. That’s the only way to truly process and heal. And by heal - not only do I mean get out of the funk but also break unhealthy cycles or patterns that you’re in.
By doing this, I discovered that the root cause of my funk back in November was overloading my plate and spreading myself too thin. And when that clicked, I was able to recognize that 9 times out of 10, this is what triggers me to head into a funk.
Sitting with uncomfy feelings isn’t necessarily enjoyable but I’m telling you - when you do this, you’ll be able to identify things that are holding you back. When I journal my way through what I’m feeling, I am able to uncover what’s holding me back, surrender it to Jesus, and move forward in freedom, you know?
When you’re aware of the things that trigger a funk, you’re able to pick up on behaviors that lead up to that trigger so you’re not caught off guard or knocked back on your booty all at once. You start to notice the signs of your trigger and can start remedying right away before you progress further into the trigger.
02. Get fresh air often.
Okay, I’m no scientist but I know that being outdoors is one of the best ways for me to cleanse and reset mentally. When I am feeling like I’m in a funk, I spend as much time outdoors as I possibly can. I take my laptop outside to work. I walk the dogs more often. I go on more bike rides with my husband.
For me, being outdoors is one of the only ways that I can slow my mind down. Fresh air grounds me which wow what a solid segway - I want to share something with y’all that I learned about in November when I was researching the effects that being outside has on us.
There is this thing called grounding or earthing - it’s referred to as both names - and it sounds weird AF but be open minded here, okay? I’ve been doing it every weekday during my lunch break for 10 minutes and it has done wonders for my mental health...seriously. So what is it?
This is the abstract from a research article that I read:
“Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Reconnection with the Earth’s electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being. Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body. This paper reviews the earthing research and the potential of earthing as a simple and easily accessed global modality of significant clinical importance.”
So what I do is stand outside in the grass barefoot for 10 minutes while I meditate. I do it on my lunch break, so like halfway through my work day, and y’all I KNOW it sounds hippy dippy but I kid you not, it resets and calms my mind. And hey, if you’re like, “Nah that’s too weird for me.” at least make it a priority to get outside for some fresh air for a few minutes each day.
03. Move your body.
I’m sure most of y’all know this but I used to be a certified personal trainer so I’m well-versed on the mental health benefits that exercise has on our bodies. Moving your body for 30 minutes every day is part of Hustle Sanely 5 not only because it’s good for your physical health, but because it’s really crucial for your mental health as well.
When you exercise, your body releases dopamine and endorphins in your brain that make you feel happy. When I’m in a funk, I tend to want to skip my workouts. But that’s the exact opposite of what would be beneficial.
If that’s the case for you too, try to shift your mindset. A workout doesn’t have to be a 60-minute arduous ordeal where you’re slamming weights around or doing sprint intervals. I know I used to think those were the only kinds of things that were considered workouts - like you had to be dripping in sweat and gasping for air or it didn’t count.
That’s incredibly false. Exercising can be as simple as going for a walk, dancing, stretching, playing tennis, or riding your bike. Exercise decreases feelings of anxiety and depression, improves our mood and sleep, and I mean well it’s obviously good for our muscles and joints.
If you’re in a funk, choose to move your body every day!
04. Do something for fun just because you love it.
Another thing that I experience when I’m in a funk is feeling the need to be hyper-productive. I harshly judge everything that I do and measure it against the questions, “What is this accomplishing?” And if the answer isn’t related to achieving a milestone or goal then I don’t think whatever I’m doing is worthwhile. That is such an unhealthy way to view productivity.
Doing things JUST FOR FUN is so important. Another thing I’ve been researching is adult play. Adult play is a time to forget about work and commitments, and to be social in an unstructured, creative way.
Our society primes is to think that we have to be doing something “productive” by their standards every second of every day. Terms like “hustle” and “grind” grace our brains on the regular. But hold up - playing as an adult is just as important as working.
This is from an article on the benefits of adult play:
“Play can add joy to life, relieve stress, supercharge learning, and connect you to others and the world around you. Play can also make work more productive and pleasurable.”
For me, playing is biking with my husband, setting up our hammocks in the park and laughing and talking, getting dinner with my girlfriends, tending to my plants, going paddleboarding with a group of friends. When I make these things a priority in my schedule, I am reminded that life is more than just working and accomplishing and doing. It’s about being and loving. If you’re in a funk, make play a priority!
05. Call someone and encourage them.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a funk, it’s really easy for me to forget about everyone around me. I feel like my negative energy has me in this capsule where all I can see and feel is the funk. I am consumed by what I’m feeling and what I’m doing (or more accurately not doing when I’m in a funk). Being in a funk doesn’t just affect us, right? It attempts to seep into our relationships too by monopolizing our thoughts and energy. When we obsess with our own situations, they typically seem much bigger than they really are.
But hey listen, we are not stuck there. We are not owned by our feelings. Our feelings are valid, yes, but they are not facts or our truth all the time.
There is some scripture that I like to read when I’m feeling like my negative thoughts are consuming me:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
We can renew our minds - we can take our thoughts captive and chuck what isn’t true. It takes mental and spiritual strength, discipline, and stamina, but it can be done.
Something practical that helps pull me out of a funk is calling someone and encouraging them. Telling them that you’re proud of them. That you are inspired by them. That you love them. Ask them about something awesome going on in their life and celebrate with them. Doing this interrupts the negative thought pattern in your mind, loosening its grip on you. Plus you get to talk to a loved one and I feel like we can all use more of that, ya know?
06. Focus on what’s in front of you.
When I’m in a funk, everything feels big and daunting, like I said earlier. One thing that I do to make sure that I keep showing up in a funk (because truthfully, we can’t take a mental health day every day - most of us have responsibilities that need to be taken care of) is focus on what is right in front of me. I have a method that I follow to help with this:
⋒ I start by asking myself what needs to be done today?
⋒ Then I ask myself, what needs to be done this morning (or afternoon or whatever time you’re doing this exercise)?
⋒ Then I ask myself, what need to be done this hour?
That’s how I go about navigating my days when I know that I don’t have the energy or gumption to take on everything, big picture, at once.
Doing this allows me to focus on one thing at time without something else hanging over my head adding more stress to the situation.
I’m typically a super structured person - y’all know this - I usually know my focus goal for each month, what action steps I need to do to make that happen every week, and what action steps I need to make those happen every day.
When I’m in a funk, thinking in detail like that overwhelms me even more. I feel paralyzed and make no moves. Not thinking about the big picture all at once but instead zeroing in on small pieces and what I need to be doing in each moment, helps me feel like I have the energy to exert on what needs to be done.
If you enjoyed this post, tune into episode 067 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast to listen into this topic!
