We’ve all been there. Life gets overwhelming and complicated. We revert into ourselves and things just feel ‘off’. We feel low and unworthy and just not our best selves. This feeling is not new to me and is one of the main reasons I started going to therapy. So if you’ve ever felt this way, I wanted you to know that 1. you’re not alone because 2. I deal with this all the time. Whether its because of stress or heartbreak or anxiety or…anything, here are some ways I’ve helped myself get out of a funk.
I found this edit below on Instagram the other day on ‘breaking_taboo‘. It’s actually artwork from Amber Rae and here is her website and Instagram.
I stumbled upon this image on a day when I was feeling really blue and down on myself and it helped me take a step back and really evaluate what I was feeling. It’s just a cute little graphic but I wanted to share it because I think it’s a great visual to help keep you from spiraling into your funk.
When I’m in a funk, I’m my own worst enemy. If I make a mistake or feel unhappy or rejected or misunderstood, I usually end up spiraling into some pretty awful thoughts about my life, the people around me and who I am as a person. I know I’m never as bad as I am when I’m in a funk and I hope you know the same about yourself. I wanted to make this blog post because when I’m feeling like this, I make myself believe I’m the only person in existence to ever have a bad day. Of course this isn’t true and if you feel this way too, I want you to know you’re not alone.
Here are a few things that have helped me get out of a funk before, and I hope they can help you too:
- Get your endorphins running: Exercise! If I’m having a really bad day, I sign up for a work out class (that if I skip it I get charged, so I have to go). When I’m forced to work out in a class of people, I can usually distract myself, focus on something other than how I’m emotionally feeling and get some endorphins running through my body. It may be super hard to do when you’re feeling blue, but getting that natural endorphins kick has done wonders for my bad moods.
- Unplug: Put your phone away from you, delete social media apps, stop watching the news, take a break from people or situations that cause you a lot of stress. It won’t help you to constantly check social media and compare what you’re currently feeling to someone’s highlight reel on Instagram. Turn your phone off and unplug from the world for a moment.
- Distract yourself: Read a book, take a walk, binge some Netflix, play with your dog, do something that you can focus on for a long period of time to distract yourself. If you keep focusing on your bad mood and bad thoughts, you could spiraling and feeling even worse. I’ll blast Taylor Swift and clean my room on when I’m feeling down, just to get my mind off of whatever I’m beating myself up about.
- Reach out to someone: Call your mom, call your best friend, call someone who you haven’t talked to in a while, reach out to a religious leader or a mentor, or contact a professional if these funks keep happening. You already know I’m such an advocate for therapy, but I also think there are people in your life that care about you and want to help you when you’re not feeling like yourself. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who loves you, understands you, thinks highly of you and wants you see you feel better. But sometimes that’s not enough and I definitely think therapy can be super helpful too. Also, I think sometimes you just need a hug.
- Write out what you’re feeling: If you can’t vent to someone or are having trouble figuring out exactly what you’re feeling, write it all down. You may be surprised with what you unravel when you start to really think about why you’re upset. But while you’re at it, write down ways you think you can help yourself, even if it’s something as small as reaching out to someone or taking a deep breath. Also write down some positive things you’re thankful for (it may be hard to think of them in the moment, which is more the reason you need to write them down!)
- Get some sleep: Go to bed early or take a nap. Turn off for a second and then turn back on and start all over. If I’m stressed and overwhelmed, most times I don’t get the sleep I need, which only adds to my funk. So make sure you’re getting enough sleep, but let’s not turn this into a long 6 hr depression nap.
- Take some time for yourself: Request a mental health day, go get a massage, say no to the party or eat lunch by yourself. There is no shame in taking some time to be by yourself if it helps you mentally reset. A few says ago I was feeling very burned out and overwhelmed with life. This happened to be when I was in NYC for a conference and I ended up having a night to myself to do whatever I wanted to do. That was a great feeling to be anonymous in a city and be completely alone (which is rare for me). I saw a Broadway show by myself, walked around Times Square a bit and then took myself out to dinner to a fancy Italian restaurant. It was a perfect instance of getting some much needed alone time and distraction from all of the stressors in my life. This really helped me recenter myself.
- Don’t fall into any toxic behavior: Don’t resort to alcohol or drugs, don’t hurt yourself, don’t make any rash decisions, and don’t do things you wouldn’t normally do, just because you’re in a funk. None of this will help you. I’m serious. There are thousands of healthy coping skills that will actually benefit you in the long run and actually help you feel better. Acknowledge that everyone goes through these funks and please please please don’t do anything that can hurt yourself short term or long term. These moments will pass and I just gave you 7 other things you could do instead!
I want to reiterate a few sources you can reach out to if you continuously find yourself in these funks and if you have serious thoughts of hurting yourself:
Is there anything you do to help yourself get out of a funk? Comment below!
Thanks for reading! xx