How To Overcome A Funk
We all go through periods when we feel on top of the world. Everything is falling into place, life feels amazing and the excitement to wake up in the morning is unreal. Life just feels good.
But we also experience times where the adverse seems to happen. Life sucks. You don't have time for anything. Nothing is going right. You genuinely just want to curl up in a ball and pretend like you are invisible to the world.
I have news for you...
This is all normal.
It sucks, but we all go through these times of unexcitement. You are never alone in how you are feeling. There is always someone else in this massive world that is having the same thoughts and feelings that you are currently having. Repeat that to yourself - it is crucial to remember.
So now that we've acknowledged these feelings, how do we escape them?
Perspective is everything.
Your habitual way of viewing things definitely has an effect on your mood.
If you are the type of person who has pessimistic tendencies, then the chances of you getting stuck in a funk are way more likely than someone who has optimistic thoughts more frequently.
Your view on the world and what happens to you can be devastating to you removing yourself from a funk. If you know you're likely to have a more negative way of thinking, try turning your thoughts around. Increase the ratio of your negative to positive thoughts and eventually your mind will start to naturally follow that thought pattern.
Changing your thoughts can trick your brain into being more positive and in turn will start to get you out of this funk that you are currently in.
Every time a negative thought comes to mind, start trying to find the positive within. There is light in everything, even if it doesn't seem like it.
Discover the root.
I have a post about getting to the root of your emotions, which you can read here. This is the best way to get out of a funk. If you understand why you are feeling a certain type of way, it will start to make more sense as to why you are in the funk in the first place.
For example, if you can have a discussion with yourself and you discover that you're surrounded by negative people, you don't have much faith in yourself and you are feeling stagnant in your growth - you then know exactly what you need to do to start fixing your current situation. The answers are already in your mind, you just have to uncover them.
This method definitely requires you to be in tune with yourself and your emotions, but it truly is the quickest way to get yourself out of the negative space.
Learn the lessons.
Sometimes we get stuck in a funk because the universe is trying to teach us a lesson and we just aren't listening. Whether it be the fact that we need to slow down, or that we need to start working towards a different direction in our lives - the universe is trying to tell us something!
Slow down and listen. Look at your current situation from a hawk-eye perspective and try to discover the lesson that is being shown to you here. The bigger picture is definitely something to keep in mind.
Discover positivity.
The best way to combat negativity? Positivity. It's like an antidote for the bad times. I kinda mentioned it in the perspective part of this post, but positive patterns really can change your habitual thoughts over time.
When you become more aware of how your normal thoughts flow, you can retrain them to start to reflect more positivity. If you're at 5 negatives for every 1 positive, just start calling yourself out on a couple of those negatives to get your ratio lower.
Be real with yourself here and don't be afraid to call yourself out on your own bullshit!
No one enjoys being in a funk. It's a miserable feeling and can be all encompassing, to say the least. Whether or not you fall victim to your down times is completely in your hands. You are completely in control of what comes from this time. Will you fall prey, or will you fight through and come out on the other side triumphant?
The choice is yours.
My favorite happiness boosters:
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