In the words of Limp Bizkit sometime you have ‘one of those days when you don’t wanna wake up, everything is f**ked, everybody sucks.’ And we all have them, some more frequently than others. But the tricky thing about adulting is some days going back to bed and hiding from the world just isn’t an option. So, here is my morning routine for getting out of a funk.
Get your thoughts out of your head and on to paper
Grab a pen and a notebook and just write. Write whatever comes to mind. This is supposed to be a brain drain. Once the thoughts are there in front of you on paper they can seem smaller and less daunting than they were in your head. Also, once they are out you no longer need to think about them. Use this time to just mull over everything that is bothering you, how you feel, what you need to do today and anything else that is clogging your thoughts up. Then, shut the notebook and move on.
Get up, get dressed and make the bed
I think sometimes we believe we need to grand, spiritual or indulgent acts of self-care to get out of a funk but really the simplest of things can help. I find that any feeling of morning grogginess, be it illness or depression or tiredness, diminishes once you are out of bed and in actual clothing. Making the bed after yourself helps relives the temptation to get back in.
Write a short to-do list of things that HAVE to get done
If you found any tasks you need to do when writing your brain drain now is the time to pop them into a short, easy to-do list. By short I mean a maximum of three and by easy I mean include things like ‘eat’ and ‘do the school run’. This will do two things; keep you focused on what actually HAS to be done and help you to feel accomplished as you tick them off.
Go outside
Getting outside has endless benefits. The combination of moving your body, natural light and time to clear your head is relaxing and uplifting. You can walk the dog, pop out to post a letter or wander around the block.
Play upbeat cheesy music
Music is another fantastic tool as it is designed to make you feel something. This means to can hack you bad mood by playing music that makes you smile. Bonus funk day points can be earnt here for dancing too! I like to put on an eclectic collection of cheesy pop.
I hope these tips helped. What do you do to get yourself out of a funk?