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I don't care what kind of life you have - good, bad, or indifferent. The truth of the matter is that all of us - even if we are living our BEST life and feel in-sync with our purpose - ALL of us have those days. Some people call them "blah" days. Blue Mondays. Sad days. I simply call them "funky mood" days.
It's not that you that everything is all wrong. You may have a lot of things going right. You might even be staring at the greatest opportunity of your life. Or you may have just accepted an opportunity that is looking like it will lead you into a better future. You should be thrilled and ecstatic. You should be excited and enthusiastic. But instead you find yourself feeling "blah."
Let me tell you that you are not alone. Some people have put a new name to it - Impostor Syndrome. But to tell you the truth, I don't feel like an "impostor." I know that I know what I know. I am confident in my skills and capabilities. That is not the problem. The problem is that I just simply am in a "funky mood."
"Funky mood" days have routinely showed up for me since I was about 15 years old. Maybe I can attribute it to dealing with life as the daughter of an alcohol-addicted father. Life was certainly a roller-coaster for me. This is how I learned to deal with change so adeptly. When you can't predict what your day will look like, you learn to roll with whatever shows up.
But my flexibility in dealing with life's ups and downs, my adeptness at adapting to life's changes, did not protect me from the shadow of my "funky mood."
What is a funky mood?
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I need to carefully define what I mean by "funky mood" so that my psychologist friends won't go off on a "you are depressed" tangent. Depression is real and anyone who is feeling hopeless and helpless should consult with a mental health professional. Let's get that straight.
A "funky mood" day is a feeling characterized by a "I don't care" kind of vibe. It is a feeling that envelopes you with thoughts of all that is wrong with the world. You look at the future that lies before you and see nothing but light. But that light does not help you break free from the shadow of heaviness that weighs upon you.
What do I do about my funky mood?
The one thing you must accept is that your funk is not a permanent condition. It is temporary. And whatever challenge, worry, or fear you are facing right now will not be "the end." This kind of catastrophizing, turning a bad situation into a worse situation by the power of thought, is exactly the wrong kind of way to deal with your funky mood day.
Instead, you need to have some go-to strategies that will get you through that day and help you bounce back into a more positive state.
The first step is to be realistic. If you are telling yourself the wrong thing about your situation, you will never recover. Examine the facts and eliminate conjecture and guessing about what "might" happen.
You must also bring your mind into the present. Take a look around and notice all of the good things about your current situation. Start with small things like "I am breathing - that's good." When we see the things that are going right, we can begin shifting to a more positive outlook.
Other things I do to prop myself up on these kind of days are:
- play my "Champions" song list
- go for a walk outside (I love being in nature on pretty days)
- take a nap (things always look different after a power nap)
- take a long, warm bubble bath
- curl up with a hot cup of tea and a good book
- do a random act of kindness
- stretch, meditate, and focus on my breath
- force myself to visualize a positive outcome
- look at my vision board and read inspiring scriptures
Things that I know will make my funky mood even worse:
- eating too much of my favorite comfort food
- watching the news (too much negativity)
- talking to a negative minded person
- rehearsing the bad things that "might" happen in my head
- make a decision ( I intentionally delay my decision until I'm in a better mood)
The main thing you should know is that your funky mood won't last forever. And taking care of yourself in the moment is the best way to navigate yourself out of the mucky waters of a day that didn't go your way.
And as always, you can visualize me cheering for you. Because I am.
