5 Proven Strategies for Pulling Yourself out of a Funk

Stuck in a funk lately?  

Like not sure exactly what it is, but you just don’t feel like yourself?  

Your spark isn’t there?  

Not feeling that zest for life?

No inspiration?

In a creative and motivational gridlock?

I don’t know about you, but that’s been me this past week or so or maybe even month 😆

Sometimes, I’m so disciplined, inspired, and on it.  My days all mapped out and I’m excited about everything on my to-do list.

And other days, I really have to drag myself to go through the motions to get stuff done.

And when it comes to creative flow, I just feel stuck.

And it seems like lately, the more people I talk to, the more I hear some version of the same thing.  Maybe it’s the political season. The actual season.  The stars.  I don’t know.  But I do know this-there are 5 things you can do today to start ramping up your energy, motivation, zest for life, and inspiration for tomorrow.

Here they are:

Eat.  Have you eaten yet today?  What did you eat?  Your plate should look something like this: protein, carb, fat, fruit or veg, and you should have one of those plates at least 3 times/day.  Your meal pattern should look something like this: breakfast within 2 hours of waking up, meal/snack 3-4 hours later, meal/snack 3-4 hours later, meal/snack 3-4 hours later.  Food is quite literally energy for both the body and the brain.   And if it’s 3 pm and you haven’t eaten yet, or eaten a  substantial meal, (guilty 🙋‍♀️), you will likely feel depressed, low energy (😳shocker), irritable, anxious, stuck, and block the flow of inspiration that naturally moves through you when you’re adequately energized.  Eat a square meal right now and your energy will be up within the next hour I guarantee it.  For some reason, I personally always forget this 😂.  And I’m a dietitian.  So if this is you, don’t beat yourself up, and make it a point to eat a meal every 3-4 hours once you wake up for the day.  And if you’re feeling particularly blah, check the timing on your last meal.  And go make yourself a shrimp and rice bowl.  Don’t forget to add the avocado and greens.

Exercise.  Okay so one of the things I love about Instagram is that by this point, EVERYONE knows the value of exercise. Thank you instagram models for flaunting the benefits.  If you’re not in the know, maybe you don’t use Instagram 🤷🏼‍♀️, exercise has been shown in clinical studies to be as effective if not moreso, than prescription antidepressants.  Exercise increases neurological connections and releases “happy” chemicals into the bloodstream.  For many, exercise also induces a deepened spiritual awareness.  That’s pretty powerful!  And all forms of exercise count!  You can jog, you can lift, you can dance, you can play basketball.  You just have to move and get your heart rate up.  Do something that keeps your heart rate up for 45 minutes to an hour every day.  This is probably THE biggest tool for combatting a crappy mood and opening your mind up to inspirational flow.   

Sleep.  Okay don’t lie: how much sleep did you get last night?  What about the night before?  This whole week?  If you are a woman operating regularly on less than 8 hours/night, this is the time of year where you will feel that.  Women biologically need 8-10 hours sleep per night, and more when menstruating.  Men need 6-8.  If you’re super active and constantly tearing up your muscle fibers or pushing your cardiovascular limits, add a few more hours to this number.  If you’re getting less than your biological need, your body actually keeps tabs on that debt, and tries to make up for it.  All.  Month.  Long.  Which means the more sleep debt you rack up, the more your body will push to catch up, leaving you feeling tired, groggy, and unmotivated.  And if you continue to ignore it, you may start to feel a little depressed.  Be your own best friend and tuck yourself in early tonight.  Tomorrow you will be so grateful. ☕️✨😌

Stop Drinking.  I know.  It is SO easy to just pour yourself a glass of wine after a long depressing day.  And it feels great for a couple of hours.  But the thing is this: alcohol is a depressant.  So no matter how good it feels in the moment, you will feel lower tomorrow.  Think of alcohol as like borrowing happiness from your future self.  The debt has to be repaid at some point.  And that’s the following day when you wake up still feeling down, probably moreso than before having the wine 😔.  So instead of dimming the tomorrow version of you, nurture the tomorrow version of you by having a magnesium mocktail (I love Calm), a juice, herbal tea, or a hot shower or bath to relax at night.  And if you follow my pointer on exercise, you’ll naturally be more relaxed after, and probably won’t even feel like reaching for the wine in the evening.  Letting go of alcohol is a tough one for most, but every single person I know who has given up alcohol, as hard as it was for them, is so happy they did, feels like a brighter version of themselves now, and has no intention of ever going back. ♡. I am one of them. P.S. there really is no health benefit to alcohol, even a glass of wine per day increases cancer risk, and the heart health benefits can be obtained from just drinking grape juice-let’s be real here.

Hydrate. Hydration always feels harder in the colder months.  Like who wants to chug cold water when they’re already freezing?  But our bodies still need fluid in the winter months.  Good news is, it doesn’t have to be water.  Hot drinks like herbal teas count too. 🍵  All teas and coffees count actually, just be mindful of caffeine consumption and stay under 3-4 cups, or 400 mg caffeine/day.  Or, make yourself a healthy hot cocoa using heated up coconut water, almond or other non dairy milk, or regular milk, (or any combo of), 1-2 tbsp cacao, ⅛ tsp each of vanilla and almond extract, a dash of pink sea salt, and a splash of honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, monk fruit, or stevia to sweeten.  I’m obsessed with a 1:1 ratio of coconut water to hazelnut or walnut milk, and I actually find it sweet enough like this without adding an additional sweetener. Make sure you're getting 8 glasses fluid daily, 6 at minimum.

Okay so there you have it.  My top 5 for combatting crummy energy and getting back to feeling like your juicy self in a funky season.  Remember this, the better you take care of yourself, the better you feel, the better you flow, and the greater your contributions to the world will be.  So think of self care as a humanitarian effort ✨♡ .