There are some days where you just feel down.
Sometimes you know why you’re not feeling yourself- you may have had a crappy day at work, or an argument with someone. Or, there may be no explanation, and your low mood may have appeared out of nowhere.
Whenever these blue days and down feelings come over you, it can easily turn your entire day upside down, and make it a real struggle to get through. Am I right?
On these particular days, time drags on, and you feel generally uninspired, unhappy, and ready to just crawl into bed.
Days like these aren’t uncommon, and although they don’t necessarily mean that you are suffering from depression, they can most definitely get you feeling out of sorts.
The next time you’re feeling a bit blah and out of sorts, try a few of these methods that will help you get out of the funk…
1. Reach out and talk to someone
When you feel low, you most likely also feel alone too, right?
It’s easy to feel like you have no support network when you are feeling out of sorts, and your mind can play some really terrible games on you. This is why it’s important when you’re feeling down, to reach out to people.
Whether it be a coworker, and asking them how their weekend was, or sending a text to your boyfriend or bestie – just reach out to someone and have a conversation. It’s a great opportunity to direct your mindset elsewhere, and talking to them can help lift you up a little. Interacting with people is key to getting you out of that funk.
2. Get outside and get some fresh air
Never underestimate how good fresh air can be for the mind, body and soul.
Quite often when I’m feeling down and in a funk, all I need to do is get up, get moving and get outside. I am a firm believer that going for walks or runs can really help your mental state.
Whether its a couple of laps around the block at work or at home, or going for a run in the afternoon – this generally increases my mood and gives me more perspective.
When you’re outside, try and use your senses to experience where you are, to be more “in the moment”. What do you see and hear around you?
3. Do something good for your body
This also ties in well with heading outside and going for a walk.
Other ways to do good things for your body could include eating a healthy meal, scheduling in a yoga session, or cancelling your plans and treating yourself to a post work massage, facial or manicure – trust me, I have done this plenty of times.
Stretching is also something that your body will love you for, and if you’re anything like me (a heavy exerciser and frequent desk sitter), then your body will love you for taking the time to stretch it out and giving it some love.
4. Express yourself
I find that writing things down really does help me when I’m feeling low.
Write down your feelings, your worries or concerns, or fill out a gratitude journal to help you put things into perspective.
Allow your emotions and feelings to come out on paper, and get them out of your head. This will help lessen that heavy feeling you may have.
This is why it also helps talk to someone else about how you’re feeling too.
5. Remember that this too shall pass
Remember that these low feelings do come and go, and so will this funky feeling!
The closer we get to winter and the cooler weather, the more likely we are to easily become affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), which means that it’s important for you to develop some techniques now, so that you know what will help you for the times when you’re not feeling yourself.
For those who think they may need further help, assistance, or someone to talk to, head to beyondblue.org.au.
