“How to Get Out of a Funk”

By: D. Burrell

7 Ways to Wake Your Mind Up Before the Funk Takes Over

Recently, while talking with a friend, she told me she had been going through a few “funk days.” She described them so well that I wanted to share her words and talk about ways we can work through these strange, vague days.

“Sometimes I spend several days in a funk. I still do what I am supposed to do. I go to work, clean the house, and answer people, but I feel like I am watching myself from the outside. Then one morning, I suddenly feel normal again. Looking back, those days feel like a blur, almost as if I was asleep.”

We have all had one of those days.

Days when you get up and move almost robotically through the routine—getting dressed, answering emails, going to work, shopping, cooking, doing laundry, smiling when needed, and somehow making it through—while deep down, you know you are just going through the motions.

You are simply existing.

Nothing sounds exciting. Nothing feels particularly wrong either. You are not necessarily sad or happy. It is as if someone quietly turned down the color on life.

That conversation sparked an interesting question.

What exactly is a "funk"?

Sometimes it could be physical. We may be exhausted, dehydrated, eating poorly, or simply not sleeping enough.

Sometimes it could be emotional. Stress quietly builds until our minds hit the "energy-saving mode."

Sometimes it could be mental. Our brains become overwhelmed with decisions, routines, or endless information.

Sometimes it could be spiritual. We lose connection with the things that give our lives meaning.

And sometimes, we simply don't know.

The important thing is recognizing that a funk doesn't have to become our permanent home.

Like a smoke alarm warning us of something needing attention, a funk may simply be our mind asking us to change or check and adjust something.

Our brains quickly adapt to familiar surroundings. When every day looks identical, our minds begin running on autopilot. Autopilot is the subconscious mind taking over when the conscious mind is overloaded. Sometimes we just have to set up an alarm clock to awaken the conscious mind from its slumber and take back control of what is going on.

Here are seven simple (TCoU DIY’s) ways to interrupt that cycle before it steals another day or precious moment.

TCoU - DIY #1: Change Your Scenery

Doing something as simple as taking a different route home, visiting a local park, working from another room, or sitting outside for fifteen minutes can interrupt the autopilot pattern.

New surroundings tell the brain:

"Pay attention. Something is different."

Sometimes that's enough to start waking your conscious mind back up.

TCoU - DIY #2: Wake Up Your Five Senses

When we're in a funk, we're often living almost entirely inside our heads.

Instead, challenge your senses.

Try doing these to have your mind focus on what your senses feel:

·         Find something around you, name it out loud, and let your mind really describe what it sees. What color is it, shape, details? Look around for 5 more things the same color.

·         Then touch it. How does it feel? Do you like the feel? Why?

·         Now, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and listen. What do you hear?

·         Then take another deep breath and focus on what you smell. What is the main smell?

·         Finally, get a glass of water, look at it, then drink some of it, close your eyes as you do, and savor it going down your throat; don’t just gulp it. Repeat this five times.

This simple exercise gently pulls your mind back into the present moment instead of allowing it to drift through the fog.

TCoU - DIY #3: Breathe, stretch, and move

One of the biggest traps of being and staying in a funk is waiting until we're motivated. You cannot get motivated when you are asleep. So, the key is to help the conscious mind wake up. Try the following:

Find a moment to try this:

1.      Sit upright with both feet flat on the floor and your hands resting comfortably at your sides. Keep your back as straight as you can without straining. Breathe in slowly for a count of five, hold for a count of five, then breathe out slowly for a count of five. Return to normal breathing.

2.      Gently lengthen your neck by lifting the top of your head upward, as if you are trying to sit taller. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Hold this position and repeat the same breathing pattern: breathe in for five, hold for five, and breathe out for five.

3.      Keeping your neck long, slowly tilt your head back only as far as feels comfortable. Do not force the movement. Hold briefly, then repeat the breathing pattern: breathe in for five, hold for five, and breathe out for five.

4.      Bring your head back to center. Slowly lower your chin toward your chest, keeping the movement gentle. Hold briefly, then repeat the breathing pattern: breathe in for five, hold for five, and breathe out for five.

5.      Return your head to center. Slowly tilt your left ear toward your left shoulder. Keep both shoulders relaxed and avoid lifting the shoulder toward your ear. Hold briefly, then breathe in for five, hold for five, and breathe out for five.

6.      Bring your head back to center. Slowly tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder. Keep the movement gentle and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Hold briefly, then repeat the same breathing pattern.

7.      Sit tall again. Reach both arms forward at shoulder height if comfortable. Slowly circle your wrists in one direction, then the other, while completing one final round of breathing: breathe in for five, hold for five, and breathe out for five.

The goal is not to complete a workout. The goal is to use slow breathing and gentle movement to help your body settle, bring your attention back to the present moment, and create a small sense of momentum.

If anything feels painful, uncomfortable, or unsafe, stop, return to a normal seating position, and breathe normally. Adjust the moments according to what you can do; do not overdo it.

TCoU - DIY #4: Surprise Yourself

Our conscious mind is a curious one. Plan to tease your conscious mind to be curious about what you are doing. Make new choices. Try these:

·         Do something you've never done before.

·         Order a meal you've never tasted.

·         Read a different genre.

·         Learn three words in another language.

·         Try a puzzle or a new game

·         Visit a museum.

·         Try a new recipe.

·         Painting something does not need to be a work of art. Use your hands.

·         Garden or plant something you will have to watch grow and take care of.

·         Reorganize something in your house (move furniture around, change a picture, change where you keep your personal items.

The activity itself isn't nearly as important as breaking routine and making the conscious mind think.

New experiences create new pathways for curiosity, and curiosity is one of the greatest enemies of emotional stagnation.

TCoU - DIY #5: Do One Meaningful Thing for Someone Else

Funk has a strange way of turning all of our attention inward, so helping someone else gently reverses that. Think about people in your life or around you and try these:

·         Send an encouraging message or daily text to someone you know.

·         Visit a neighbor, introduce yourself to one if you don’t know your neighbors.

·         Bake cookies or muffins or something you enjoy.

·         Donate books or something you have enjoyed but no longer need (games, clothes, shoes, etc.). Think about how finding those treasures might make someone feel.

·         Call someone you've been meaning to check on. Ask them three meaningful things like: what is the most fun thing you have done lately, or, have you read a good book you can recommend, or, where do you suggest going for a fun vacation?

·         Update the birth date list of all the people you care for (or have social media platforms send you calendar reminders) and wish them a happy birthday in person, in a phone call, or in a text.

Acts of kindness don't magically erase difficult emotions. But they give the mind a break. And it reminds us that we still have something valuable to give. Sometimes purpose arrives when we least expect it while we are helping someone else.

TCoU - DIY #6: Become Curious Instead of Critical, check the why’s

Instead of asking, "What's wrong with me?" Try asking, "What is my body or mind trying to tell me?"

Maybe you are exhausted, and you need to rest.

Maybe you have been saying yes too often; revisit all you have promised to do and start saying “NO” to things that are not that important but are taking a lot of your time and brain power.

Maybe you are lonely. Reach out to someone you have not spoken to for a while, but do not talk about yourself; really listen and find out how THEY are doing. If you bring up your funk or your issues, you will only feed them to get bigger.  Instead, take time out from your own thoughts and wake your mind to listen to someone else.

Maybe you have ignored something important. Maybe you are procrastinating to complete something you know is important to you.  Procrastination can make your conscious mind disconnect. Is there a way to deal with a nagging issue, even in small portions, so you can start chipping away at it and not allow your mind to disconnect because it is overwhelmed and feeling out of control?

Curiosity opens doors. Self-criticism usually slams them shut. Use curiosity to get your conscious mind to want to learn something or pay attention, instead of trying to disconnect into numbness.

But remember to be kind to yourself, treat yourself with the same patience you would offer a close friend.

TCoU - DIY #7: Build Your Personal "Break Glass" Emergency Plan

Before the next funk arrives, create a rescue list.

Write down “10” things that have genuinely helped you feel alive before.

Examples might include:

•         Do one of the TCoU DIY suggestions to use to awaken the conscious mind.

Do something you enjoy:

•         Walking near water

•         Listening to your favorite music

•         Watching a funny movie

•         Calling a friend

•         Visiting a bookstore

•         Cooking a favorite family recipe

•         Playing with your pet

•         Spending a few minutes talking with someone in your family

•         Watching the sunrise

•         Journaling

•         Reading an inspiring book or story

When the fog rolls in, don't rely on your memory.

Your future self will appreciate having a “Funk-Emergency-Plan” waiting.

Final Thoughts

Life isn't meant to feel exciting every single day.

There are seasons for working hard, resting deeply, grieving losses, and simply catching our breath.

But if your days begin disappearing into long stretches of emotional gray, don't ignore them. Reach out for your Funk-Emergency-Plan and show your mind that you are aware, and it does not need to go numb or hide.

Try something different.

Sometimes the smallest change becomes the first spark.

And sometimes that spark is all it takes to remind our conscious and subconscious minds that we are good; it’s ok for them to stay awake.

TCoU Reflection

A funk is not a personal failure. It's often a signal, not a sentence. Rather than fighting it or feeling guilty, consider asking, "What part of me needs attention today?" The answer may not come immediately, but the question itself begins to shift you from surviving to participating in your own life again.

5-Minute TCoU - DIY Challenge

Today, choose one thing from this article and do it before you go to bed.

Not tomorrow.

Not next week.

Today.

Start with one small action. Momentum does not usually begin with a giant leap; it often begins with one manageable movement.

More often, being awake and living the moments begins with one small decision you take to remind yourself: I am here, and I can take this one step at a time. If you are already in a funk, it says: I am ready to come back to this moment.

Wishing you hope and kindness! Till next time, stay awake and enjoy each moment.