As smiley and happy of a person as I naturally am, sometimes, things take a turn for the blue.
This has been a tough month for me.
Some really close friends had all been here visiting, and then they all left.
I’m going through some exciting business changes and growth, yet frankly the to-do list can seem daunting.
My sweet kitty of 19 years was really struggling for a few weeks, needed a lot of care, and recently died.
When I’ve not been working, I’ve been in a sweatpants Netflix coma.
Lured by it’s brainless-ness and numbing super powers.
I didn’t feel like working out as much.
I still did, just not as often and not with my same enthusiasm.
It didn’t feel as good. I felt really grateful for my weekly class that I teach and my own weekly training session.
My food has still been good but also pretty eh.
Anyway, as you likely know, it starts to feel gross. I felt blah. And that’s not in my nature.
So I’m done with it.
I was chatting with a friend over the weekend about how I was done with it, and what I’m doing to BE done with it. She wanted to know the strategy.
Here are my 4 Ways to Climb Out of a Funk:
1. Spend at least 20 minutes outside, everyday.
Go for a walk, lay by the pool and veg out or read, have your morning coffee outside.
It just helps everything.
2. Plan your meals for the week.
Eating like sh*t feels like sh*t.
So does not eating enough.
Making a plan and getting it done is a small thing but feels good.
3. Change your routine.
Netflix is quite the seductress for me, so I’m saying no thank-you to TV in the evenings a few days a week.
Keeping it off frees my brain to focus on other things that fulfill me, like painting, planning my food, working out, going for a walk, playing games, sitting outside and reading, seeing people I love, working, or even just making sure my house and closet are decluttered. Oh and going to bed early.
I’m also changing my workout times.
Lately, if I don’t do it first thing or with a trainer, it ain’t happening.
Getting up and getting it done feels good and sets the tone for the day.
4. Consistent Gratitude and Intention Setting
If I jot down in my journal daily a few things I’m grateful for and an intention for how I want to feel that day (productive, healthy, and joyful for instance), that positivity and mini goal follows me.
I know what to do to achieve those feelings.
I notice that when I don’t journal for too long my mood darkens. It’s no good.
The takeaway here?
Making these choices helps me regain control and head toward feeling sunny again.
I hope this might help you sometime too.
Thanks for reading.
xo,
P.S. I wrote a bit about my Charlie Bear. Only read if you really love me or animals. 🙂 https://andreabarkley.com/ode-to-charlie/
