All too many people woke up this morning with a feeling of ugh.

While that may not be entirely remarkable for a Monday, “ugh” is becoming a pattern that I’m noticing more and more.  Here’s how this week’s Positive Mornings call began.

Lesley opened the conversation by saying that she felt like she had glue in her veins.
Dana, my irrepressibly upbeat co-host, said she wasn’t herself and needed a nap.
Robyn replied to the string of me too!s in the zoom chat with, “Thank God! I thought it just me.”

What’s going on?

We’re not loving this “new normal” and with more and more of it on the horizon, we’re getting collectively frustrated. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for those whose education, livelihood, health or relationships have been turned upside down in the tumult of 2020.

It’s in moments like this – when we fall into a new version of stuck, or when an old funk comes back to roost – that we start searching for solutions to make us feel better and get back on track.

But there’s a huge issue with solving for funk.  Being in a funk is a symptom, not a problem, and most of the time it’s a symptom of multiple things, some of which are not especially obvious.

And so funk’s prevail, weighing us down far longer than they need to.

What’s a girl to do?

Forget trying to solve it – the process of trying to untangle all the bits and pieces of your funk are likely to do more harm than good.  The way out comes from accepting it for what it is and getting back to the simple basics of self-care.

This Week:  UnFUNKING 101

1. LET GO of trying to figure it out.  You’re in a funk – it happens.

2. NOTICE how many things that are feeding your funk are out of your control and let those go too!

3. REST is critical.  If you’re in a funk, it’s likely that you’re either emotionally, intellectually or physically exhausted (sometimes all three). Give yourself the time and space to recuperate where you need it most by sleeping, playing, or simply relaxing.

4. TAKE ACTION on what you can control. Go easy here. The quickest way to relapse is to take on more than your depleted self can handle. Start with simple actions like:

• Asking yourself “How do I want to show up today?”

• Choosing what you focus your attention on. (Turn off the news, call your most optimistic friend, go outside, etc…)

These 3 simple steps when given a bit of time and attention (aka repetition) will pull you out of your funk and bring your best self back onto the playing field.