Funk the funk in 5 – no it’s not a typo.
If you look up the definition of funk it says it is both a noun and a verb. The noun is a state of depression. Whereas the verb is to avoid or get out of something. Besides, I didn’t want to offend anyone with the other word I could have used.
Have you ever been in a depressive “funk?” How did you get yourself out of it? If you would like to know my 5 top tips for getting out of a funk read on.
- Start by going for a long walk. Five minutes probably won’t be enough, but fifty minutes will help a lot. The gentle movement will increase blood flow to your body and brain and lift your mood. Let your thoughts focus on the nature around you, as this will also help restore your mental wellbeing.
- Listen to an uplifting or funny message on a podcast, TED Talk or YouTube video for at least 5 minutes. Hearing another person talk about how they overcame adversity can inspire you. Listening to comedy will trigger endorphins and help you feel better.
- Make yourself a smoothie made of these 5 things: Berries, bananas, oats, coffee and dark chocolate. If you prefer something savoury, have a meal of these 5: fatty fish, lentils, green vegetables, sweet potatoes, and nuts.
- Dance to happy music for at least 5 minutes. Dancing releases endorphins so that we feel happy. You could go further and dance to 5 happy songs.
- Get in touch with 5 friends. Often when people feel depressed the tendency is to hibernate. But this only makes things worse. Just having contact with other people is good for our mental and even physical health. You don’t need to be at your best to send a simple WhatsApp message. Most people will be happy to hear from you and will send you a message back.
There are other things you can do to funk a funk, but I promised I’d keep it to 5. The point is, we can alter our moods. We have a choice to stay in the funk or get ourselves out of it. Negativity and staying in a dark mood are habits. We always have the choice to replace our bad habits with good ones. So what if you got into the habit of doing these 5 things daily, to prevent getting into a funk in the first place?
