Tips to Get Out of a Funk

It’s human nature for a person to have an off day, or a funk as some call it. Somedays, you may feel like you can accomplish the world while others you may feel burnout, sadness, anxiousness, and lack of motivation. Especially right now during COVID-19, you may have days where you just feel out of it. For a lot of people, they are juggling many things outside of the normal routine. It is important to note that you can take control of your funk. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Label your emotions and acknowledge them. We sometimes feel uncomfortable feeling negative emotions. Emotional labeling helps you become more aware of what you are feeling and can help you regulate your reactions in a healthy way.

2. Create a playlist to boost your mood. We all have songs that are instant mood boosters. Make a go-to mood booster playlist and turn it on when you are feeling down.

3. Make a gratitude list. Challenge your negative emotions by writing down all of the good in your life.

4. Take a walking meditation. Take a walk and focus on the sensations you feel in your body. Pay attention to the weight in your feet hitting the ground and the movement in your arms. If you find thoughts in your mind wandering, bring the focus back to the sensations you are feeling as you walk.

5. Dig in the dirt. Gardening is both a physical exercise and creative art. Research has found gardening has a wide range of health outcomes including reductions in depression, anxiety, as well as increased life satisfaction, quality of life, and sense of community.

6. Connect with friends or family. By connecting with someone else, we automatically shift some attention off ourselves and we feel less alone.

These are just a few ideas to help you take control of days where you are in a funk. Take some time to reflect and process how you feel from time to time, and have some strategies to cope when you are in a funk.

Jill Haupts, Outreach Coordinator for The Kim Foundation

Jill Haupts is the Outreach Coordinator at The Kim Foundation. She received her bachelor’s degree in Child, Adult, and Family Services from Iowa State University in 2016. Jill joined the Kim Foundation in January coming from Des Moines, Iowa. Her previous experience includes volunteer recruitment and fundraising, as well as experience coordinating services and providing resources to adults who have a mental health diagnosis. Jill’s role in the foundation is coordinating event logistics, presenting and attending community fairs, as well as volunteer coordination and recruitment. She enjoys working in the nonprofit field and has a passion for advocacy and helping others.