HOW TO GET OUT OF A FUNK, FAST
I find it quite amusing that the day after I got the idea for a blog post about getting out of a funk, I wake up in a funk myself.
When I talk about being in a funk, I mean:
Feeling agitated or irritated
Feeling frustrated or overwhelmed
Struggling to make even the simplest decisions
Having a lack of direction or focus
Losing interest in anything and everything
Not knowing what to do with yourself - do you want to work? Do you want to be around people? Do you want to be on your own? Do you want to sleep, read, run?
And the longer we’re in a funk, the harder it is to see a way out of it.
Here are my tips for getting yourself out of a funk, fast:
Stop the judgement
This morning I woke up feeling anxious, agitated, tired and as I was writing in my journal, I realised I was trying to solve the mystery. I was putting so much effort into figuring out what had caused the funk that it was making me even more agitated.
Was it going to bed later than normal?
Was it the coffee I’d had the day before?
Was it the sugar I’d eaten?
All reasons that place the blame on me.
And as soon as we blame ourselves, the guilt creeps in.
If you read 4 things you need to achieve your goals, you’ll know that I’m not a fan of guilt.
When we’re deliriously happy or feeling on top of the world, we don’t spend time analysing what could have made us feel so good, we just bask in the joy.
So why, when we feel shitty, do we judge the way we feel?
Our first step towards getting out of the funk is to stop judging it.
Acknowledge we’re feeling a certain way, accept that that’s how we feel in that moment and then take action to make ourselves feel better.
Take a step back + self care
As entrepreneurs, when we’re in a funk, we feel like we have to keep pushing forwards or our empire will collapse. Everywhere you look, people are hustling to build the life of their dreams.
But is hustling a sustainable way of life?
No. Absolutely not.
And the truth is, the more we try to push through under the funky cloud, the harder things are which leads to increased frustration - counterproductive right?
Yet when we take a step back, when we focus on doing something we love - something that doesn’t concern our business - we can return refreshed and raring to go.
A few things I like to do for myself when I’m feeling funky:
Meditate - Quieting the thoughts in your mind will help with any overwhelm and leave you feeling calm.
Go for a walk - Fresh air does wonders for your physical and mental health.
Get out of the house - I’m writing this from a Costa in town.
Cry - It’s ok to let the emotions out. Remember, no judgement.
Have a cup of tea - Herbal teas are my go to. I like to make a cup, curl up on the sofa and stare out the window, watching the birds and squirrels in the garden.
Netflix - Find a series you love or one you want to start and binge watch unapologetically.
Talk to someone - a friend, a fellow entrepreneur, your partner, your mentor/coach. Talking about your feelings helps them feel like less of a burden.
Have a bath - Run yourself a hot bath with bubbles or essential oils, light a candle and just relax.
You can’t pour from an empty cup so stop trying.
Get into a high vibe
When we’re in a high vibe, we experience positive feelings such as excitement, happiness, joy, gratitude, pride, confidence, etc.
Getting yourself into a high vibe means those negative, destructive ‘funk’ feelings will disappear.
My favourite ways to get into a high vibe are:
Dance like no-one’s watching - Get on your favourite playlist and dance around until you can’t help but smile
Get dressed up - Put on an outfit that makes you feel good, do your hair, apply some makeup and spritz your favourite scent
Take yourself out - Go for lunch in your favourite restaurant, go shopping and treat yourself to something special, take a book to a coffee shop and spend an hour reading
Zumba - I’ve only just discovered Zumba and my god I’m hooked: I have zero coordination and can’t keep up with most of the moves but I have so much FUN just moving my body
Ask yourself “What do I want right now?”
Whilst some funks are short term and can be solved in a couple of hours, others can last for weeks on end. The long term funks are often a result of feeling misaligned or a lack of clarity.
Towards the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, I was stuck in a funk. I was working all the hours, I had a few awesome clients, I was generating a decent income but something just wasn’t working. I was terrified to admit I wasn’t happy as I’d spent nearly two years building my business as a social media manager. I didn’t want to say out loud that I’d created something that was making me miserable because I felt like I’d failed.
As soon as I asked myself “What do I want right now?”, I knew I needed to make some drastic changes.
But admitting to myself that I needed more and telling my mum and boyfriend I wanted to become a coach meant that I had extra support around me.
When I knew what I wanted, it was easier to put a plan in motion to make that happen.
I recommend spending 10-15 minutes meditating, asking yourself “What do I want right now?” and then letting the words spill out into your journal or a sheet of paper.
If things aren’t working for you as they are, that’s ok.
You’re allowed to change your mind.
Set realistic, short term goals
Once you know what you want, you can create small, realistic goals to help you move closer to the end result.
Let’s say you want to rebrand your business. The goal of re-branding your business is a pretty big one and when you think about all the things you need to do for that, it’s so overwhelming you won’t want to start.
But if you broke it down into 3 mini, realistic goals, it feels a lot easier and you’ll have more confidence that you can make it happen. Breaking each of the mini goals into actionable tasks and allowing yourself 3 months to complete them also eases the pressure.
Likewise, if increasing your confidence was something you wanted to achieve, your 3 mini goals could be things such as create a morning routine, read one personal development book a week and watch videos everyday about improving your mindset.
Create a plan
You’ve got your short term goals, now you just need a plan to ensure you tick off the tasks that’ll get you there.
This is where time blocking comes in handy.
Once you’ve broken your mini goals into actionable tasks, block out time in your calendar to complete each of those tasks.
Keep things simple. Never give yourself more than 3 tasks in a day to complete, even if one of the tasks will take just 10 minutes. Setting yourself too many tasks instantly increases overwhelm which de-motivates you before you’ve started.
Once you’ve completed the 3 tasks, you can always tick off one of tomorrow’s tasks OR you can treat yourself to an early finish and go do something FUN.
So there you have it - how to get out of a funk, fast.
The key points to remember are to take a step back, spend some time doing something you love and keep things simple. If you start to create a plan and it feels overwhelming, look for ways you can simplify it.
Remember, feeling funky won’t last forever, promise.
