Episode 232: 13 Ways to Pull Yourself Out of a Funk (Part 1)

Sometimes in life you just feel... bleh.

Maybe it's because you went through a breakup, or lost a job, or had a falling out with a friend, or life just feels like it's picking on you, but you suddenly find yourself smack dab in the middle of a funk. 

And it sucks because you don't know how long it'll last, motivation and energy are low, your insides feel like they've been scraped out leaving a gaping hole, and all you want is to feel like you again.

Well as someone who just pulled herself out of one hell of a funk and is feeling more grounded in herself than she has in a long time, let me share some tangible action steps that worked wonders!

1. Before anything else, sit with those funky feelings. 

Of course you want to stop feeling icky as soon as humanly possible. But when we try to immediately repress any negative feelings we have that's when it shows up later in really unhealthy ways.

If we don't want our negative emotions to get stuck in our body creating either illness or unwanted behavior, we have to process our emotions so they can actually be released. And that means holding space for them, sitting with them, allowing them. 

This might look like crying. This might look like screaming. This might look like punching a pillow. This might look like allowing yourself to stay in bed an extra hour just feeling the heaviness. 

2. Create a 'need to hear' album on Instagram. 

I follow a ton of psychologists and positive Instagram accounts with incredible quotes and insights. When I was in a funk, I created an album so that any time a message really resonated with me, I'd save the post so I could easily go back to it.

Obviously I would be happy to be that account for you over at @follow.your.gut.nutrition, but here are some other great accounts as well:

@julienhimself

@min.psy.guidance

@newhappyco

@the.holistic.psychologist

@wetheurban

@awolbs

@your_pocket_therapist

@positivelypresent

@jillianturecki

3. Make a playlist that makes you feel like a badass and listen to it often.

I don't know about you, but there is nothing that can change my mood faster than music. I could go from balling my eyes out to twerking up a storm in 2 seconds flat because the right beat dropped. 

Here's the link to my workout playlist (which I fill with songs that make me feel strong and powerful). Fair warning, I know we all have different tastes and mine is a lot of rap and songs filled with profanity, if that's not your jam, build your own with songs you love! 

4. Make a playlist that will make you cry when you need to let it all out. 

Part of getting out of a funk is accepting that you'll take 2 steps forward and one step back. Your experience will ebb and flow.

One minute you'll feel like you're out of it and doing just fine, the next you'll feel like your outside of your body looking in, feeling disconnected from everything and back to that hollowness inside. 

Don't resist it. If you need to go back to the dark for a minute, give yourself that permission and grace to do so. Sometimes a good cry is all you need to get back to the light. 

5. Spend time with good people.  

You're probably not going to feel like it. You're probably going to want to crawl into a hole and stay there. Fight this urge and go spend time with friends. 

I did this and at first I'll be honest, it wasn't great. I felt like I was going through the motions, plastering a smile on my face, and not really connecting to the experience. 

But the more I surrounded with myself with my favorite humans, the more I came back to myself. 

It's the people who make you laugh when you have tears in your eyes. The people who see you, like really see you, and accept you exactly as you are in that moment of struggle. The people who will distract you when you need to not think and who will listen when you need to process what you're going through for the millionth time. Those are the people who will help you heal. 

6. Do what makes you feel shiny. Or find what makes you feel shiny. 

This was the most impactful step for me. The most accurate metaphor for what my personal funk felt like was a candle being blown out. And I realized I needed to get back to the things that lit me up from within. 

For me that was dance. But I knew dance itself would make my chronic ankle and toe injury flair up. So I got creative and went to a pole class instead (where your feet are generally off the ground). 

This did so much for my mental health. I feel most like myself when I'm on a dance floor. I feel at home, confident, sexy. It's like every cell is breathing in the experience and I leave feeling like the glow-y, happy, version of myself that I love. 

What makes you light up? If you don't know the answer off the top of your head, think about any natural talents you have, think about hobbies you had as a kid, and if you're still coming up empty, make a list of hobbies you'd like to try and give each one a shot until you find that thing that sets your heart on fire. 

I hope you found these first 6 tips helpful as a starting point for shifting into a better place, but we're not done! I'm sharing 7 more strategies next week, just click here to get notified when that one drops so you don't miss out! 

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