THRIVE with Whole-istic Healing Co.
EPISODE 38: WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE IN A ‘FUNK’?
If you don’t have depression, or burnout…but just are not feeling ‘yourself’, then you could be in a funk!
To be honest, I have felt like I have been in a funk in and out this year.
I have wondered if it is an energetic funk, in terms of planetary alignments/retrogrades/lunar activity. I have wondered if it is numerology based given the year we have entered into.
I have wondered if it is the suburb we moved into back in mid-November.
What does a ‘funk’ look like for me?
It varies from point to point at different times and may not be ALL at the same time! I may oscillate between them, or be more at odds with a particular point at any one time;
- Feeling lost, displaced almost
- Low motivation
- Feeling of ‘drudgery’ and ‘same old’ again and again
- ‘Can’t be bothered’ feeling in particular aspects or many at the same time!
- The need for ‘escapism’, more fun and joy to shake things up!
- A real desire for a change, holiday, break…yet also feeling so swamped with life that I need to keep powering through until that holiday comes (though a break is excellent motivation for me to keep cracking!)
- In non-commitment windows of time, I just want to BE…I feel the real need to decompress on my own, not see anyone or do anything despite needing to see them or feeling the pull of obligation to do so…
- Feels flat but not specific to a reason (weather dependent definitely! Less common when it is sunny OR rainy; cloudy days without sun or rain make me feel this more)
Yet, no matter what the ROOT cause or reason is, when I have felt particularly ‘stuck’ or perturbed or ‘funky’, I lean into tried and trusted measures to help ‘shift’ underlying stagnation or energy…because it is all well and good to recognize that we are IN a funk, but to DO something about it is where the REAL POWER lies!
So, what do I do about it?
- First I check in and introspect as to what is it possibly telling me?;
- Boredom
- Misalignment in a particular aspect?
- Not listening to my soul?
- Pushing myself too hard?
Then I look into;
- Nutrition? (too much processed foods, takeway?)
- Hormones? (where am I in my cycle?)
- Caffeine? (am I adrenally pushing myself by being ‘ON’ and it is making me wired, stretching my nervous system)
- Exercise? (not moving my body enough? Prana ALWAYS helps me with energy and feeling clarity in my mind…yet, I need to energy to do it!)
- Not doing enough GROUNDING practices (mindfulness, meditation, baths, self-massage, getting a massage, journaling, reading a book)
- Over committing to activities and schedules? Saying YES when I should say NO
- My habitual ‘people pleasing’ tendencies?
- Is it being too bogged down with the ‘seriousness’ of life? (ALL man-made and self-inflicted!…not enough FUN or JOY?)
- Is it too much of SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF? Not having a perspective beyond ‘what is’?
- Is it being indoors too much vs being in the sunshine and nature? Not being around water enough?
- Not spending enough time with loved ones? I ALWAYS find that spending time and laughing with family & friends (as long as it isn’t every day i.e. too much!), that sparks me into ‘life’ again!
- Is my house too messy? A clean space gives me STRUCTURE and order and I THIRVE with that!
- Do I not have enough help? I definitely have trouble asking for help, sometimes because I think it is easier on my own! Also, it can feel like ‘too much work’ organizing it…and others, it feels like am I worth the financial cost of it? (worthiness undertones!)
I definitely always go back to my TRIANGLE of MIND, BODY and SPIRIT and LEAN into where I am not dedicating enough time. I have so much admiration for my Dad who always has steadfast discipline to make sure he does his exercise, meditation, reading and eating nutritious food EVERY day; even from when I was young!
It is what I aspire to be and do myself; though somehow always feel like a dog chasing my tail!
A FUNK to me feels like my soul telling me that something is not quite in alignment…
And I also believe that I hold enough wisdom and intuition to lean into what exactly that may be…i.e. that I have the own answer within me.
I no longer look OUT THERE, as I know it is ONLY in stillness that I am going to hear what my heart and soul are saying.
I trust my gut instinct and I go with her every time.
I also accept a FUNK with gratitude because I can DO something about it!
I know I have personal responsibility to;
+ CHANGE what I can…or
+ ACCEPT what I cannot change…and be OK with that.
I also believe that there is a SEASON for everything.
A season for planting seeds, which can feel tiring in waiting for an outcome or ‘result’ per se…and we have lots of business ventures currently where we have been treading water for 3 years waiting to see what is happening!…it is a practice of PATIENCE…FAITH and doing the work, without INSTANT GRATIFICATION.
There is a season for ACTION; which requires us to be physically putting in the work yes, busy, being ‘on’…
There is a season for REST; either when it is forced upon us with a health upgrade, or the rest that we take because we know we need it…
I also wonder like the seasons, if we honour this action & rest premise throughout our days too, that we are more able to have a life that is sustainable. I compare this to fighting through the weeks knowing that a ‘holiday’ is coming…yet when we get there be so exhausted or run down to enjoy it fully?
BALANCE is the key.
Or like Buddha discovered, the MIDDLE PATH.
I believe that IS the way to live a life with equanimity, poise, grace and a life that is sustainable. Too far on either extreme will cause us to either feel too pushed, or filled with inertia.
Buddha was definitely onto something.
The takeaway here, is that I believe being in a FUNK is a time to LOOK within and check in with yourself…with honesty and compassion, as to what exactly is your heart and soul telling you?
I believe our body explains how we feel, so it is important to never ignore it.
My ankles flare up when I feel like I can’t keep up with this pace of life and feel burdened.
It then flares up my hips and glutes; which is also where so many emotions are stored from a Yoga perspective. When I lean into where I feel ‘burdened’, where I feel ‘trapped’, it starts to release. I never shy away from my emotion and NEVER SWEEP THINGS UNDER A RUG!
My shoulder get tight and filled with knots when I feel like I am working hard and carrying the weight of the world on top of; literally.
My breath shallows when I feel like I am in my ‘fight or flight’ mode…which is happening a lot these past 2 weeks.
My skin reddens and have had boil type redness at times, when I feel anger literally bubbling away in my blood.
So, I never ignore how I FEEL. I take it as my inner compass guiding me towards what is happening!
Don’t FRET and use it as an opportunity to re-set and look within.
It won’t be forever, provided you don’t ignore it and assume it is nothing.
xx Namita
Guided Meditation
Sleep Guided Meditation
My Mummy After Our Baby Book
