5 Surefire Ways to Push Past a Funky Mood

When you feel more than blah and can’t get out of your own way, don’t despair. There are many practical solutions to push past a funky mood to get your day back on track.

It goes something like this: You skip binge watching reruns of Breaking Bad and sink your weary head into the pillow.

Then the alarm goes off. Way too soon. The plan is to charge forward and tackle that growing to-do list. Today. You warrior on fire, you.

You hit the snooze button. Three times. It’s the first sign your get up and go has got up and gone. You moan. You crawl into the bathroom and try to shower the sleepies away.

The rest of the day becomes a series of fuzzy moments where nothing gets done. While your glorious agenda for the day fizzles you realize you’re in a full blown funk. But you can push past a funky mood.

It happens to the best of us. You can’t seem to get out of your own way. A three-year-old can beat you in a shoe tying contest. Your mind swirls in a million directions until all you can do is sit down to keep the room from spinning.

Some things you can attribute to being in a funky mood include:

– Poor sleep
– Alcohol
– Diet
– Lack of Exercise
– People
– The Internal Playground (Worries, anxiety, fears, etc.)
– Binge watching reruns of Breaking Bad

Funk is paralysis of your brain. It’s a state of indecision and lack of motivation. Basically, your head is in quicksand and sinking fast.

The good news is that being in a funky mood is usually a temporary state of mind. And the magic bullet to push past it is simple: get moving in little bitty ways.

I attempted to work on a manuscript and the words were not coming together. It all sucked. I deleted what I’d written and started again, and again. The easy way out was to abandon the project, go back to bed and finish binge watching season one of…you know…The Good Wife.

Then comes the internal justification dialogue. We call on Queen Critical and King Judgment and Prince I’m Not Worthy. Haven’t we passed the Woe Is Me Station?

Take a quick assessment of your mood. Be honest with yourself about what’s going on in your world. If there’s a serious situation, get some professional help.

For relief when you’re stuck in neutral, here are 5 sure-fire ways to help push past your funky mood:

1. MOVE. The act of physical movement is proven to help with mild depression, that funky feeling. Hit the gym. Take the dog for a stroll. Run up and down a flight of steps.

2. TALK IT OUT. Don’t whine to a friend. If you have a pet, you’ll get away with this just fine. Positive self-talk is one way to deal with stress. There’s a recorder on my phone that I use often just to vent. Side note: It’s amazing the information gleaned when you listen to yourself rant.

3. PLAY MUSIC. Certain sounds and music can help. I like mine lively and upbeat. Jimmy Buffett makes me feel all summery and happy even in the dead of winter. Minus the margarita -– until I’m out of the funk. Or maybe soothing music helps you.

4. SWITCH GEARS. As in bake a cake, clean the toilet, wax the car. Divert your thinking in a new direction. Hey, worst case, you’ve got a nice dessert for dinner.

5. GIVE BACK. Do something for someone else. It’s amazing the traction you’ll get when you take your mind off yourself. Double points if you do it when no one is looking.

There is no one cure all for the occasional funk. For most of us, these days come along only once in a while. When they do, recognize it, accept it and move on.

As long as you actively try something you’ll push past your funky mood to enjoy (what is left) of your day.