There are always two voices sounding in our ears -
the voice of fear and the voice of confidence.
One is the clamor of the senses,
the other is the whispering of the higher self.
- Charles B. Newcome
Sometimes I wake up and I am just in a funk! It happened again…today. What exacerbates this experience is that there is no one reason why I am feeling so disheartened and down.
But that IS what I am feeling.
I’ve noticed these morning funks have revved up quite a bit since the pandemic.
The loss and conflict in our world, the upheaval of our climate, and the steady drum of hostility, fear, and discord in our news and social media, create a dark shadow. One, that even our Colorado sun can’t dispel.
The horrific events catch my attention. It is the collective suffering and loss that makes my heart and my morning feel heavy. The voice of fear reverberates through the personal aspects of my own Life.
Do you know what I’m talking about here? Have you experienced your own version of funk?
Though I monitor my daily data intake - the emotional energies of my senses knock the truth out of me, leaving me breathless.
I’ve learned from experience I must DO something when a funk has moved in. If I’m complacent, my day, perhaps even my week, could continue to accelerate downhill.
Here are 5 action steps I choose from to help me move thru a funk:
1 - Seek out a good friend. You know the kind of friend that takes your call. She’ll either make you laugh or listen intently while you provide a short rant regarding your mood. Good friends have a way of offering a bit of levity while reminding you that your feelings matter.
Who is that friend for you?
2 - Do one thing that makes you happy. Doesn’t matter what it might be, I’ve found it usually involves creating something. For me, I love to bake. It’s a simple and familiar activity where I am usually successful! And time I spend in the kitchen always brings my mother’s memory close in my heart. The aroma imbued in the house and of course, enjoying eating what I’ve created, just makes me happy!
What is one thing you could create to lift your spirits?
3 - Complete a procrastinated task. Humph! There always seems to be an uncompleted task that sits to the side, silently annoying me. For whatever reason I’ve judged it as undesirable and have avoided dealing with it until now. (at least consciously)
I recently read a new interpretation for procrastination. It stated that “procrastination may be helpful, as it is a defense mechanism for something you find uncomfortable.” Ha! Well…. duh?!?
Last week I completed preparing my business tax records. This week, I tackled a pile of papers stacked ever so neatly on the floor of my office. Accomplishment breeds confidence. I believe the private personal accomplishments, the ones no one else knows or cares about, can empower us in a silent yet gleeful way.
Where do you see an uncompleted task ready for your attention in this moment?
4 - Spend time in nature. Get outside! Walk amongst the trees; make it a saunter or brisk hike. Take residence on a rock and spend 5 minutes observing everything around you. Silently watch the clouds change shape as they move across the sky. Listen for the cadence variation in the songs of the birds. Study the structure of a leaf. Massage the earth’s soil (or snow) in your hand.
Breathe. Look. Listen. Smell. Move. Focus on the beat of your heart as it aligns with Mother Earth.
How do you connect with Life’s light in nature?
5 - Shift your gripes into Grace. At the heart of every funk is a dam of negative thoughts that build pressure in our heads. It’s usually 2-3 predominant thoughts that chant negative mantras to hold us captive.
When we reframe or express our thoughts differently, we shift the energy of our mantra into an elevated vibrational frequency.
Grace can be described as the influence or spirit of God - operating in humans- to regenerate or strengthen them.
I reframe my gripes by looking for the truth and acknowledging the spiritual gift I’ve been blinded to.
Does this sound a bit challenging? Initially it is. Not because the actual process is difficult, but because it’s such an unfamiliar practice for most of us. The cool thing is like any new practice, we get better at it the more we do it.
This practice requires us to first take an intentional look at the negative complaints we’ve got festering.
Work with your top 1- 3 gripes that have surfaced: (Gripe is an old term that sounds like its definition; complain about something in a persistent, irritating way.)
Use 3-5 words to identify each gripe.
Manually write down and state your gripe aloud.
Breathe in. Exhale.
Next for each one, ask yourself aloud, “Is this really true?”
Breathe in. Exhale.
Ask yourself aloud, “What would I like to be true about this? “
Breathe in. Exhale.
Keep it brief 3-5 words -Write down what you’d like to be true for each one. Declare aloud!
Breathe in. Exhale.
Lastly ask yourself this question aloud: Could I give myself permission to trust in these truths?
Breathe in. Exhale.
The pause of energy and the shift in your focus is almost always enough to alter your outlook and elevate your spirits.
What could you do to shift your focus from complaint to gratitude?