Are feeling…well funky? You have no idea why, but you just feel off and not yourself and you have no idea how to get yourself out of it. Well, this post will help you to better understand yourself, and the funkiness and help you get out of this funk so you can get back to full-on Boss Babe mode.
First of all, it’s vital for you to know that these moments of funk you feel are completely normal. You are human after all, and you will have some bad days or worse periods in your life. So do not dwell on it or make yourself feel worse because you are experiencing this right now. You will get out of it and it will pass.
Funk is an important signal that you should check in with yourself because there is something in your life that might need your attention. But we will get into that in more detail below.
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What exactly is a funk?
This might differ from person to person but to give you an overview…
…in essence, funk is a short period of time, a few days to a week, when you feel down, low, sad, teary, lacking motivation, irritable, annoyed, unable to focus, tired, and like there is a grey Columbus cloud right above you.
You want to sit in a closet and hide from the world and pray that this feeling will pass…ASAP!
Simply put you just feel blah!
It could be an external trigger for this feeling. Maybe it’s work stress or relationship problems. But other times it just comes out of nowhere. No real trigger…it’s just there.
Either way, in order to get out of a funk, you need to reset yourself. Inside and out.
Are funk and depression the same thing?
It is important to note that funk is vastly different from depression.
The most important distinction is in the time over which you experience these feelings. In it is a few days to a week – it is most likely a funk. If the symptoms are consistent for two weeks or more and are of greater magnitude than normal when you are sad, plus they start severely affecting your life then it might be depression.
In fact, the DSM – V considers a diagnosis of depression when symptoms happen consistently over two weeks. If this is the case, please speak to your doctor and reach out for professional help.
15 Ways to get out of a funk and back into Boss Babe mode?
Ok enough technicalities…because let’s face it if you are feeling funky all you wanna do is get unfunked. So let’s dive in
Embrace the funkiness.
Don’t fight it and just allow yourself to feel what you need to feel. Accepting the emotions for what they are is a healthy way to start processing them. By processing the emotions, you can begin to move past them.
When you are in a funk the last thing you want is to add any more unnecessary anxiety, or negative emotions, and bottling things up or sweeping your feeling under the carpet will only allow them to fester. You’ll soon feel frustrated.
So accept it for what it is and don’t try to fight it.
Get to the bottom of the problem.
A funk, can signify something is off and something in your life needs extra attention. As previously mentioned sometimes there is no reason you can think of why you might be in a funk. No external event triggered it but you just feel off.
This is probably more common for us ladies when mother nature comes knocking on the door. Hormones could play a massive role. This is why it can be helpful for you to get in touch with yourself and track your monthly cycle.
The app called Moody Month is awesome for this!
Other times an event or situation could have triggered it, so spend some time with yourself to better understand why these emotions surfaced.
Check-in on your alignment.
You can be dishonest with yourself for a while and prod along for the time being. But if you are forced to do something, anything which is not in alignment with your core, your values, your wants, your needs, or your dreams, this will surely and quickly lead to feelings of frustration and funkiness over time.
Check-in with where you are in your core areas of life and where you want to be. See if they are in alignment and if you are at least on the right path towards meeting your needs.
If not, do a life audit and take time to think about how you can get back on track and what small steps you can take to gain back some of that control.
Go to your happy place.
We all have one. That place – the one that helps you feel safe and secure and brings you comfort on those bad days.
It could be a physical location such as a family home or a nature walk in a park or even just your home. But it could also be a person, a friend, or a family member you’re close to.
Speak to someone you trust.
Talk it through with someone because talking it through will help get all those negative emotions out. It helps you process everything and speaking with someone who knows you well and you trust could help shed some light as to what might be going on.
Let those emotions out and you feel immediately feel a sense of relief. Not to mention, that you will get that human connection which will help you feel understood and less alone.
Take time off work.
There is no worse feeling than working when you are feeling off. Forcing yourself to be the best version on those days will only exacerbate those negative emotions. Give yourself permission to call in sick if you are an employee or just allow yourself to switch off from business mode if you are building your own empire.
No one will die, the world won’t end and nothing will be unrecoverable.
Taking time off is what will allow you to get out of a funk quicker. So you’re doing everyone a favor because in no time you will be back to your awesome self.
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Limit any negativity.
Put a filter on to filter out any negativity on those days. Avoid anything and anyone (or everyone) that might trigger you.
This could be the news, social media accounts, parents, colleagues, boss, partner. Set boundaries for yourself that day (maybe just let your boo know) but be unapologetic about it.
You owe it to yourself to do what is best for you on those days. Once it passes you can get back to the digital and everyday world.
Avoid any guilt.
It is very easy to allow guilt to take over. For any ambitious woman going places, being in a funk can cause a lot of stress, anxiety, and guilt. Because you know you are not operating at your best. Plus, you just can’t seem to shake this feeling off and get back on track.
But in these moments is it vital that you treat yourself with compassion. Yes, sometimes tough love is necessary, but if you are in a funk, it will only make these feelings worse. So be kind to yourself and treat yourself exactly as you would a close friend who was going through a similar thing.
Self-love will diminish any sense of guilt and you can relax and put yourself at ease as you work through the funk.
Focus on mind and body wellness.
You want to be kind to your mind and kind to your body when you are in a funk. So if it feels right for you try to incorporate some of those good habits into your day.
You don’t have to be a wellness guru by any means! However, doing something good for your body or mind can help to ease the negative feelings, remove any sense of guilt and begin to help you move out of it. Here are some ways that can help your wellness-wise:
- Move your body.
- Eat nutritious and healthy foods.
- Meditate.
- Journal.
- Gratitude.
- Positive mindset, good vibes, and self-love.
- Plentiful sleep.
- Manage stress.
Change your scenery.
At times it is difficult to move out of a funk if you are spending time in an environment that has either caused it or you associate with something negative. This is especially true if your feeling off was caused by some external factor.
Changing up your environment can be a super powerful trick to get your mind out of the problems. It will act as a distraction and provide a new experience that will shift your mind away from any negative thought patterns.
You may not feel like getting out and about in an unfamiliar place when you’re feeling crappy but it could very well be the antidote you need.
Give it a try, plan a trip, and worst comes to worst, you can make your way back home and spend the rest of the day under a duvet with a pint of ice cream.
Create a de-funk playlist.
Think happy happy songs.
High energy, positive songs that want to make you get up and dance.
You might be tempted to listen to the gloomy stuff but it will only lead you into a self-perpetuating spiral of negativity. So fight through that urge and create a happy playlist.
Make a plan.
So by this point, you may start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and see a glimpse of motivation coming back.
Use this to your advantage and begin to make an action plan, noting all the things you can change now. Planning will give you a sense of control over your life and a sense of direction. This will help you keep moving forward.
Break the goals into small components so you do not get overwhelmed at any point.
Take a small step forward.
Once you have an actionable plan in place you can begin to tackle the broken down goals, one at a time. But at this stage remember to continue to be kind to yourself and do not over-stretch yourself. Take one small part of a task and tackle that before you even decide if you want to add more to your plate. Re-assess how you feel and continue taking things one small step at a time.
Over time you will begin to find it easier and easier to take on more as you begin to find your flow.
Invest in a mentor.
When your life and everything you want to do and accomplish, begin to get on top of you and overwhelm you, the best bet could invest in a mentor.
There are some amazing and qualified people with a ton of experience that can help you move out of any rut.
It could be a business coach, a life coach, or anything else you think you might need to help you get unstuck.
Mentors and coaches will help to identify your pain points and help you work through them. They will give you actionable tips and advice on how to get to where you want to be and who you want to be and keep you accountable throughout.
Let it pass.
In the end, the important thing is that this funk will pass. It is temporary and you know that from the experience of the last time you went through it. So be gentle with yourself and make sure you make yourself a priority. Do not force anything which does not feel right and just allow yourself to feel what you need to feel.
Sometimes this is the best solution.
On a Final Note.
Here is a quick-fire summary of the top 15 ways in which you can get out of a funk so you can get back to being your badass self.
- Embrace the funkiness.
- Get to the bottom of the problem.
- Check-in on your alignment.
- Go to your happy place.
- Speak to someone you trust.
- Take time off work.
- Limit any negativity.
- Avoid any guilt.
- Focus on mind and body wellness.
- Change your scenery.
- Create a de-funk playlist.
- Make a plan.
- Take a small step forward.
- Invest in a mentor.
- Let it pass.