”Be at least as interested in what goes on inside you as what happens outside. If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Although I like to think of myself as a spiritually inclined glass half-full kind of gal I’m going to be totally honest here when I say that as of late I’ve been feeling funky at work - mostly because I’ve been very busy the last few weeks which has led me to feel somewhat frazzled.
Everything else right now is great - my passion projects (blog and coaching) are flowing, I’m in a wonderful relationship and I’m having great experiences on a daily basis; but for some reason I haven’t been able to shake this funky feeling when it comes to my day job.
Granted I actually really like my day job most of the time, I’ve just been in a weird mood as of late. Last week in particular there was one day where I just did NOT want to be there. I walked in with a shitty attitude, had kind of a stressful day with countless interviews and a never ending to-do list and ended up deciding not to go to yoga because I felt so damn tired.
By the end of the day all I wanted to do was lay in bed and read a good book. Fortunately what I ended up reading was Ekhart Tolle’s Power of Now which quickly helped me realize that at least now I’m aware of when I’m in a funky mood. Most of all, it helped me realize that you always have the choice to end the funk.
So how do you deal with a funky mood?
Own it.
There’s no use in resisting how you’re feeling, that’ll only make things worse. Simply admit that you feel like shit and get whatever bitching and moaning out of your system.
Use affirmations.
Bad moods rarely last very long, unless you become very attached to them. You see that’s where the choice part comes in - you can choose not to become attached to this internal state.
For instance, instead of saying things like “My life sucks because of x, y and z,” “I can’t do this,” or “That guy will never be into me,” come up with more positive attitude. Every time you catch yourself wrapped up in your ego make it a point to immediately say an affirmation.
You can check out Louise Hay, the queen of affirmations herself if you need a little help in this department. Terri Cole has a great guide for creating affirmations as well.
Take a break and do something you enjoy.
The other day at work I took a major step back and took a walk during my lunch break. Little things like that almost instantly make me feel better when I’m in a bad mood.
The next time you’re feeling funky walk away from whatever is causing the your mood and do something you enjoy. Sometimes our bodies and minds just need a break.
Meditate.
I know I’m beating a dead horse here but sitting in silence and taking a few deep breaths works miracles. Seriously. I personally enjoy Gabrielle Bernstein or Meditation Oasis for all of my guided meditations.
Obviously we don’t live in a perfect world and can’t always be living in the flow. We’re all human with complex emotions, but we also have the ability to not become slaves to our emotions.
Everyday we have a choice: stay in a negative thought pattern or start changing the conversation in our head. With practice you’ll start becoming more aware of when you’re not flowing and most of all you’ll start to consciously see things in a more positive way. Eventually it becomes more like second nature.
