The practice
Sometimes a funk seems to descend from nowhere, and any amount of positive thinking and self encouragement just doesn't seem to pull you out of it. It could be that you actually need to rest instead of doing anything, or it could be that you need to do that thing you've been avoiding (paying the bills, or calling your Mom), or it could be...well...that you just need to get off your butt and throw off this funk! But it's easier said than done. So, how?
Here are some ideas*:
- rinse your hands and splash your face with cold water
- take a shower alternating hot and cold water
- suck a sharp peppermint, such as an Altoid
- jump up and down, or walk briskly for a few minutes, or do a few of your favourite yoga poses
- put a few drops of some essential oil on a cloth and waft it about so you smell it in the air (try rosemary, or eucalyptus)
- set a timer, lie down and close your eyes for a few minutes
- drink some cool water
- dance for five minutes.
The theory
In NLP they say, "You can't think your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking". These are ways into that. Instead of sitting there trying to change your thoughts, try changing state instead.
The result
All of these ideas are ways of changing your physiology, with the idea that when you change your physical state, your feeling state will follow. At the very least, they may provide a brief gap in the funk, which you can take advantage of to do something else that you know will help, such as picking up the phone to call a friend.
*As always, do these in a safe way, and check with your doctor if you're in any doubt about any of them.
Sometimes a funk seems to descend from nowhere, and any amount of positive thinking and self encouragement just doesn't seem to pull you out of it. It could be that you actually need to rest instead of doing anything, or it could be that you need to do that thing you've been avoiding (paying the bills, or calling your Mom), or it could be...well...that you just need to get off your butt and throw off this funk! But it's easier said than done. So, how?
Here are some ideas*:
- rinse your hands and splash your face with cold water
- take a shower alternating hot and cold water
- suck a sharp peppermint, such as an Altoid
- jump up and down, or walk briskly for a few minutes, or do a few of your favourite yoga poses
- put a few drops of some essential oil on a cloth and waft it about so you smell it in the air (try rosemary, or eucalyptus)
- set a timer, lie down and close your eyes for a few minutes
- drink some cool water
- dance for five minutes.
The theory
In NLP they say, "You can't think your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking". These are ways into that. Instead of sitting there trying to change your thoughts, try changing state instead.
The result
All of these ideas are ways of changing your physiology, with the idea that when you change your physical state, your feeling state will follow. At the very least, they may provide a brief gap in the funk, which you can take advantage of to do something else that you know will help, such as picking up the phone to call a friend.
*As always, do these in a safe way, and check with your doctor if you're in any doubt about any of them.
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