How to Kick the A-ttitude out of a Funk!
Let me share with you my remedy routine and self-care saviors for those times when it feels like everything sucks. I’ll even give you my prevention practices! After all, the happier and more peaceful we are, the better this planet becomes – I’m all for that.
We’ve all been there. In that dark, morose and ever-so-edgy, blatantly-angry funk. It settles into our being like heavy, thick smog that stifles our breathing and blinds our vision. The oppressive feeling it brings generates the most toxic conversations in our head. It can seem impossible to shake. It’s like the burrs you pick up in the bushes on a hike, a red wine stain on a white linen table cloth, or those damn blueberries and turmeric powder that have marked my white kitchen counter top in purple and fluorescent orange. If I’m in a funk and this happens, it infuriates me so. You have no idea. My self-talk: “All I’m trying to do is eat healthy. How can it go so wrong?”
If you’re in a deep funk, there’s likely a conversation going on in your mind so toxic that you’d punch the lights out of anyone else who dared speaking to you this way. It may sound like this…
“I feel like crap! Hell, I look like crap! This sucks and I have no idea what to do. Everything is hurling at me and the demands are insane. I have so much to do, yet nothing seems to be working. I can’t even think straight. I’m so damn tired. Just look at me, I look dead and all I want to do is hide out!”
Sound familiar?
If you keep feeding the fire of this toxic tape recording you’ll feel even worse. What can you do to stop the train of chatter when you’re on this downhill spiral? Well, for starters, you need to stop! Yes, that’s right, just stop it. Expel the toxic talk by visually gathering up of every bit of crappy thinking and feeling in your mind, inhale as you sweep your arms overhead, and then imagine spewing it all out while flinging your arms down and outward.
Yes, really! Give it a try right now if you need clearing. Who doesn’t from time to time? Do it as many times as you need to. Spit the negativity out of your being then begin to dig for something. One thing. One tiny bit of something that feels good, or at least better than the negative conversation that hijacked your mind. Focus your attention on this. You can even start with just noticing how that dramatic spewing out of all funky thoughts and feelings actually feels alright.
Now, to reprogram. After the expelling, take another deep breath in while you imagine something you really love being gathered up. Draw it in toward your heart centre. Maybe it’s the image of a loved one. It might be a safe place, like your secret hideaway by the beach or that bike trail you love. Perhaps it’s an inspiring thought, like a quote from someone you admire. Go there, into this place. The place that feels good, really good. Go so deep that your uplifting thought draws you in like a magnet and you’re giving it energy. Yes, you actually feel like you have some now. All by simply reprogramming the conversation you’re carrying in your mind. It’s so simple and so powerful. Give it a legitimate trial run. You will be impressed and ready to make it a habit.
I make a conscious effort to do this every day. Funk or not – fortunately, they really don’t come around much anymore – I expel the venom (beliefs, tensions, toxins, worries, disease of any kind) and inhale the joy in my ‘mind-set’® morning routine, and sometimes during the day if I catch myself succumbing to negativity. I’ve learned conscious mind-setting in essential to my sanity and I’m quite certain this is true for us all.
My ongoing practice of meditation, visualization and research of The Tao, Energy Medicine with Donna Eden, Gary Craig’s Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Nick Ortner’s take with The Tapping Solution and my favorite, The Law of Attraction with Ester Hicks and Abraham are long practiced, proven strategies enabling us to better navigate our everyday lives; grounded, lifted and able to invite in what we want rather than what we don’t want.
I will be so bold as to say we all need consciousness coaching. Because of this, my focus in my work has returned here. It was where I began, and looking back at my previous work, self-care and conscious mindfulness are at the heart of my journey and in all aspects of my vocation.
My suggestion for you right now: go and make yourself a most delish cashew or coconut latte with my favorite Four sigmatic superfood mushroom elixir combo of the mushroom coffee blend and mushroom hot cacao and a dash of Lakanto sweetener. Sometimes I even add a teaspoon of raw cacao powder to my frother. I promise this latte is heavenly and a perfect companion to accompany you as you reflect on this conversation! Consider, if you don’t show yourself some self-care, how will anyone else know how to! ☺
About the author: Teri Gentes, seeker, teacher, student and lover of life and great food!
