Fighting the Funk

We all fall into a funk occasionally, even when things are going well. How do we get out of it? That's the fun part.

We have all been there. For some reason or other, you find yourself in a funk. Nothing major has happened to cause it, except perhaps the perfect mix of hormones, the weather, and doing too much. At some point we hit the wall.

Taking stock of ourselves as we are hypothetically splayed across the wall (all knees and elbows in our own awesome awkwardness), we realize that the big things, the important things, are in relatively good shape.

Basic needs are met, relationships are in good order, work and home life are trucking along. So then you ask yourself, “What the heck?” (Ok, maybe heck is replaced with an expletive.)

Where is this coming from?

I’ll tell you. Humans are habitual creatures, to a fault. Hear me out.

I want you to think of your favorite dinner, the one that makes you salivate just thinking about it. The one you likely only get on special occasions. Now, let’s think about that dish. You sit down to dinner, and voila, there it is. The aroma, the presentation, and finally the taste. Mmm, to die for.

You eat it up, and lucky for you, you have leftovers to take home! The next day, you pull out the leftovers, and warm it up. Definitely still tastes amazing, but not quite as good as last night.

Oh look, you still have leftovers! Day three, you pull it out, perhaps not excitedly, but it is still better than the other options glaring at you from inside the refrigerator.

And again, more leftovers to keep (no exclamation or measurable level of excitement now). Day four rolls around, and you are tired of eating this thing. At this point, even ramen noodles sound more appetizing. No way can you eat this thing for the fourth day in a row.

Funk has been accomplished.

In this scenario, how do we get out of the funk? Simple, we try something different.

I am going to be honest; inspiration for writing has been elusive for me this week. When my inspiration meter gets low, there are several things I do which usually work.

Well, this time they didn’t. In vain, I kept cycling through them (again, the whole ‘humans are habitual creatures’ bit). The only progress was the elapsing of time without anything to show for it.

So, I decided to try something different. It was fun and it was just me. Hours later, I still had no inspiration. But you know what it did do? It made me feel better. The goal was inspiration and beating writer’s block, but instead I wound up feeling better overall.

When we are in a funk of any sort, we have to break the mold. Do something out of the blue. Do something for ourselves. Have you ever realized there are so many things we enjoy doing that we just fail to find the time for? It’s almost like we forget we enjoyed certain things until we are reminded.

We need to remind ourselves.

Carpe freaking diem.

Go to your favorite store. Treat yourself to a sweet dessert. Go for a ride or a drive. Take a bath. Stay up late watching old movies. Play board games with your family. Have a pillow fight. Jam out to your favorite playlist and dance like no one’s watching. Make that recipe you’ve been itching to try. Book the trip you’ve wanted to take.

My daughter told me she can’t wait to have her own place so that she can buy a cake for absolutely no reason.

Yes! Why don’t we buy a cake just because? Heck, let’s even have them decorate it with a message. Maybe “Just Because” or “Why Not” would work.

Or perhaps best of all “Carpe Freaking Diem”.