It is all starts with something small. Maybe your alarm doesn’t go off one morning, or you feel a slight tingle in your leg—the sign that you might be having a flare up.
Than this one small thing starts to snow ball into much more than a single event. You slip on ice on your way to work, you got no sleep the night before so you are exhausted, and you forget it is your best friend’s birthday.
The “funk” starts to take form.
By the time you get home, over 10 things have gone wrong throughout the day and you begin to think that you are just plain unlucky.
You go to bed aggravated. The last thing you think before you fall asleep is that you don’t want to wake up early tomorrow morning. All you want to do is lay in bed all day, and sulk about your flare up, your bruised knee, and your angry friend.
You have officially entered a bad mood “funk”.
What is a “funk”?
A “funk” is a depressing mood you get in that you just can’t shake. You begin to not act like yourself, although all you keep telling yourself is that you need to get back to your normal mood.
It happens to the best of us. For those people with chronic illness, we know “funks” all too well. It happens far to often than we would like to admit, but for some of us we have created strategies to get over these tough times.
I polled the chronic illness community to find out what tips other chronic illness fighters have to getting out of their own funks.
Below you will find responses from chronic illness fighters just like you. Hopefully this list will come in handy next time you are in a “funk” of your own!
- “Listen to your favorite music, but with headphones, and the lights low, so you can focus on the sounds, and not what ails you……works for me every time.”
- “Read a novel.”
- “Take a bubble bath, laying in the pool, and using bath and body products.”
- “Nice warm weather and sunshine. Vitamin D!!”.
- “Time in nature.”
- “I listen to pop music on headphones and color. I use colored pencils and loads of pictures from Internet and FB.”
- “Taking a walk and going to a quite coffee shop.”
- “Laugh to keep from crying!”
- “Planting flowers.”
- “A cute puppy video will do fine me.”
- “A good concert”
- “Church and Jesus!”
- “Playing with my children.”
- “Knowing it could be worse.”
- “I paint my toenails a bright color and go fishing.”
- “I spend some extra time spoiling my fur babies!! I have 3 dogs and 5 cats, and they can always use some extra snuggles or treats!!”
- “Smile…it helps shake that funk out.”
- “Think about those people who should be in a “bad mood” but aren’t!!!”
- “A funny movie, spending time with friends that make me laugh, good quotes, and crocheting.”
- “I surround myself with people who emit positive energy”
- “Taking my dog for a hike, she gets so excited to be running around in the woods and splashing in rivers that I can’t help but to smile.”
- “If you have a dog, hang out with it. If not, hang out with your neighbor’s dog.”
- “I’ll stand in front of the mirror and make funny faces at myself until I crack up. I also feel better if I do something for someone in need.”
- “Carpool karaoke! Dance as though no one is watching, love like you’ve never been hurt, SING as though no one can hear you and LIVE as though heaven is on earth!!!”
- “Changing your routine. When I get in bad mood I find changing things up can really help my mind.”
- “Humor or sarcasm”
- “If able go for a swim. Always helps me.”
- “I sing amazing grace in my mind, find something on TV that is uplifting to watch or just daydream while staring out the window with a cup of coffee.”
- “Take a drive and pay the tolls for the person behind you.”
- “I have a play list on my mp3 player that is just pump up songs. I work a task that I needed to do playing this and I seem to come out in a fantastic mood.”
- “I had to find things that make me happy that I can actually do! So, I started adopting dogs. They make me smile! And I wrote a book… and… I became a “wine enthusiast”.”
- “Jump in the car and drive to some nostalgic tunes”
- “Doing a random act of kindness or any act of kindness. Doing something to serve others. Always works for me!”
- “Look at my daughter she makes everything better.”
- “A shower or meditation.”
- “Friends with a campfire with awesome laughs.”
- “Photography, listening to music while I patently wait for the perfect sunset by the water lapping at the shore. Watching natural beauty transform before my eyes always takes the pain and anguish of my life away!”
- “I live near the county lake. Go for a drive with the sunroof open, and enjoy the natural scenery and wildlife.”
- “Dance party. Dance party. Dance party. I crank up some music and sing along while dancing with my girls. One is two and the other is four months. They’re too young yet to realize I’m not an awesome singer.”
- “A cup of good coffee makes me happy. Also snuggling with the husband”
- “Sleep!”
- “I drink wine and spend time with the dog. He listens and never tries to solve anything and I don’t have to share my wine with him.”
- “Laughing helps. Just laugh. Even if you have to fake it. Before you know it you’ll be laughing for real.”
- “Chocolate”
- “Music, essential oils, exercise, massage, walk, drinking cup of tea, and petting my dog.”
- “I like to have a “me” day of shopping for bargains at my favorite stores, dining at my favorite restaurant, and relaxing with our best friends.”
- “Watching a good movie in my very comfy bed with my wonderful husband. It makes me stop and smell the roses and count my blessings.”
- “Turn up the music LOUD and have a kitchen dance party with my kiddo.”
- “Chamomile tea!! Very soothing & calming.”
- “Keep your mind busy… Word games, art work, anything to preoccupy myself.”
What is your favorite tip?! Paste it below 🙂
Dave
Curtis Mayfield is my kind of “funk”. Groovy. Now, that’s showing my age.
Seriously though, I need to chill-out, de stress and become calm. For me any kind of stress not only causes a flare, it makes everything worse.
I actually made a list that I can refer to. One of the things that helps is to have some chocolate & call a friend.