by Tricia
I’m in a funk lately and I want to get out of it. This isn’t the first time it’s happened along our journey and it probably won’t be the last. I realized how bad it was this weekend when I walked right past my son when he was asking me a question. I didn’t even hear him. To be honest, I’m not sure what I was thinking about. All I know was that I “wasn’t there.”
We went out and about on Sunday to enjoy a nice spring day. The snow is melting and the waterfalls in the area are flowing full steam. While I enjoyed explaining the ways of the natural world to my son, I still wasn’t 100% there. Even when we stopped and played a game of catch in a bare field, it felt like I was having an out of body experience. Hard to describe.
Funks are not fun. Gosh I want out of this one. This is not the time to be in one with a new business venture looming. I have to get on the ball here. My husband is doing more than his share and I should be working on my part.
I’m not sure if there was a trigger for this funk, but I need to get out of it. Thanks to the internet, I found some information that might be helpful to others that are feeling a bit funky, no matter the cause.
About.com gives 10 ideas. My favorites are talking a walk, doing a random act of kindness and spending time with children. While I’ve done all three lately, they haven’t broken me out of the funk I’ve been in. But I smiled more than if I didn’t do those things.
I think the main thing now is to try to keep active, get a good night’s sleep, and try to relax a little. I also need to remember that even though we are still in debt, we have come a long way since 2005. We have a lot to be thankful for.
I know the feeling, I’ve been so busy at work the past few weeks I’ve fallen into a slump both at home and for my blogging.
Thanks for the heads up on things to do to snap out of it, if only for a short time! 🙂
Sorry to hear that. It seems like the change in weather has something to do with it. And out here it’s been raining nonstop for the last 2 days. On the plus side, lots of things that can improve your mood are free. I hope you enjoy them!
The difficult thing in saying this is how often it’s taken seriously (especially since I use Zen as a nick).
Take a few deep breaths and meditate. It’s what I’ve done in a few moments when I feel like I’m losing it or I’m clamming up.
Prayer always helps me. Hope you feel better soon.
I often find that if I am feeling like you describe then it is because I have not been paying enough attention to my health. If I make sure that I cut out the junk food and sugary foods and take more exercise I snap out of it.
I think spring is an odd time because everything has been in a frozen state for so long, now life must emerge again. Sometimes I get bummed out or overwhelmed with stuff, nothing seems to work. I find that if I write down the things I want to accomplish when I get them done I can cross them off one at a time. The goal is to finish the list of things to do and even though they may be routine things, I still feel better about knowing that I accomplished a small goal. As they say the grass is always greener on the other side.
Sorry about your Funk. I know how it is I was in one all day Sunday, and yesterday. I am still in a bot of one, but trying to keep spirits high. I usually try to tell myself it’s temporary. That everything is. Even debt. Hang in there, I will be sending you warm thoughts.
~Take Care
Yeah know the feeling not much you can do beside simply wait it out, good news is moods always change so this will pass.
I’ve always found that cutting just a small amount of fat from my diet (skip the cheese or mayo), and adding some protein got me out of a funk. Fat is the easiest thing to get too much of (easier than carbs), and protein is the hardest thing to get enough of. No need to make dramatic changes that you’ll have a hard time committing to.
I don’t want to appear like I’m plugging a product here, but email me and I’ll tell you about a 100-calorie protein drink I make that’s low fat, low carbs, and so good it should be bad for you.
Well, sounds like depression. That’s with a little “d”. Everyone has given you great advice, and as many know, sometimes you just have to wait it out; that if you can’t put your finger on a reason, it could be a matter of wacky chemistry which will work itself out. Hang in there, go through the motions, make lists of what you have to do… just DO what you gotta do, and eventually your brain/psyche will catch up with you!
Must be catchy(even in Australia), I was feeling like that over the weekend. Spoke to my best friend on the phone which usually cheers me up but it didn’t. So I wrote a long blurb in my journal just to try to figure what was going on in my head. This clarified things a bit. Also when I get flat or down, I think it is when I am tired, so i try and cut things out as much as possible, have a few nights in, do things i love, such as cooking, reading, just things that help me re-group, and get my energy back. Just be kind to yourself and you’ll get through it.
best wishes, Debra
Join the club. Have you been listening to the news lately? Have the TV or radio on with hourly blasts of the news? Have you been reading financial blogs or just sad-news blogs or an actual newspaper or magazine?
It’s the economy, stupid.
Who wants to even get out of bed anymore?
I found that the best thing I did was to stop listening, watching or reading anything remotely involved with today’s headlines. If you need to read, try fiction.
Another thing that worked for me was listening to other peoples stories. Once I realized my own life could be much worse, I perked up real fast.
Also watch more Seinfeld and rent Disney’s Enchanted. Play with your kids. Pretend and dream. Write down your thoughts (and complaints) in a personal journal that only you can see. Take a walk. Listen to the birds. Just be thankful. It could be worse.(but it’s not and that’s the good part)
This to will pass.
I agree with boomie…. I’m in a funk myself because of the economic news and seeing gas prices / food price. I have to stop and tell myself “IT ISN’T THAT BAD” all the time.
We’re trying to eliminate all our debt, except our primary mortgage (which we’re paying extra on). None of it was “bad” debt, but we wanted it gone. After just over 2 years of hard work, we’re in the home stretch, having elimated nearly $50,000 in debts with just about $6,000 to go. Thanks to our snowball, we’ll be free in about 70 days.
But the closer we get, the further it seems at times. Gas prices go up (but the incremental cost is still a fraction of what we used to spend in interest)… Food prices go up (but the incremental cost is still a fraction of what we used to spend in interest)….. Banks keep slashing the interest rates they pay on our savings (but we still earn more in interest than we did two years ago)…. It is so easy to see the bad – that all of these changes cost a lot of money – and forget the good – that our financial position is stronger than it has ever been, that we’re very close to our goal, and that worst case now it will take an extra couple weeks.
How do you break out of it? There isn’t really an easy way… but anything I can do to remind myself how lucky I am helps. Volunteering, donating more to charity, whatever….
In my opinion, just like consumerism-led debt is a disease, saving is a disease. You get addicted and anything that stands in your way that you have no control over can cause you to feel depressed. It can be hard to deal with at times, but you eventually get through it…
Keep your chin up, Tricia!
I get in funks myself.
I hope you find your way out soon.
Seeing gas stations has put me into a funk lately! Maybe you just need a break from thinking about debt! We all go through these spurts.
Hey Tricia,
Just wanted to add a comment in regard to the ‘About.com’ list, there are some great suggestions there but to make it even more resonant for you, aka get out of your funk today, you could make your own top 10 list of things that REALLY nourish you.
Just take a minute to think about it.
Personalizing a list like this and sticking it on the fridge or on your computer to remind you to do ‘your things’ more often can really put a smile back on your face.
Have fun doing it, C
Sometimes the only way through a funk is to trudge along until you notice the sun on your shoulders again. Its funny how a blue mood can slink away as quietly as it entered.
In case this is something bigger, though, you might want to peruse this link.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-easy-to-read.shtml
Don’t be afraid to seek out a professional if need be. I found a talented and caring doctor when I had a bout of depression five years ago who was key to my recovery.
Keep us posted and know we are rooting for you.
I know how you feel. Good luck. Just think positively about the future and take pride in how far you’ve come. You’re still an inspiration for me Tricia. Thank you for keeping up the blogging even through the funk.