Escaping Funkytown

Everyone has heard some variation of “life is short so live it to its fullest!” ad nausea, to the point where it no longer means anything. When you’re tired, you have a screaming kid/boss/spouse and no patience left, it’s hard to think about living life like you’re going to die next week. All you want to do is cuss and hide under the covers. You’re ready to give up on life and see what happens in the next one.

Recovering from a funk is not easy, but it is essential to moving past roadblocks on your path to first class. When I am stressed to the brink and my boss has talked down to me for what I swear is the last time, getting back to my center is on my list of top 10 things I don’t want to do. I want to fester and seethe. I want to eat something junky and use words that used to get me sent to my room.

But these “wants” are not healthy, nor are they helping you on your path to a first class mindset. The true test comes when you really, really don’t “feel like it.”

You must break out of the sour mood as quickly as possible. You must treat it like a fatal illness that has to be quarantined, because if allowed to spread it will hurt you. Not just ruin your day, but physically and emotionally harm you (and possibly others around you). Wallowing in negativity and anger has been proven time and again to be one of the worst things you can do for your health, and even worse, it sneaks up slowly. You may not even know you’re sick until your doctor say “hypertension,” “ulcer” or “cancer.”

Are those angry feelings worth dying for?

Well, are they?

Ask yourself that question the next time you want to hang out in Funky-town for a while. Assuming the answer is no, that you’re not willing to heap more misery upon yourself and possibly kill yourself by hanging onto bad emotions, you must find your way to the exit. You only have so many years on this planet, and if you don’t master your emotions I guarantee those years will not be spent in first class.

Everyone’s way is going to be different. I close my eyes and go back to a cherished memory or visualize something wonderful I want to see in my future. This helps bring me back to what’s important. Sometimes I am so frustrated that I just want to cry. So I do it. I cry, and then I feel better. Crying actually releases endorphins designed to help you heal. That’s why people honestly feel better after a good cry.

Maybe crying’s not your thing, or it’s not bad enough to push you to tears. Removing yourself from the situation at least for a short break is the place to start. Go for a walk. Watch your favorite TV show. Pray. Read something uplifting. Listen to an upbeat song and force yourself to sing along. Go on YouTube and watch some BLR or whatever it is that makes you laugh every time. Find your get out of Funky-town trump card and keep it handy going into stressful situations.

DO NOT call your best friend, spouse or mother to complain. I know everyone likes to vent, including me, but it really does not help when there is no redemptive value to your words. This will make it worse because it will reinforce the angry feelings. You tend to feel justified which makes you hold on. You want to release the negative, not stir it up.

However, a call or visit to discuss solutions, resolutions, to share what’s happening with an ongoing difficult situation and pray, etc., can be very beneficial. If the person you go to has the added benefit of being able to make you laugh, that’s a serious bonus! One of life’s greatest gifts is to have someone that can make you feel better no matter the situation.

Getting back on the first class frequency after taking a hit is not always easy, but it can and should be done. Do you have any sure fire techniques to get out of a funk? Share them below!