Getting Out of a Funk

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It happens to everyone. We develop a feeling of complacency, laziness, an attitude of negativity. We just don’t care anymore. Yes, this is normal, and the longer you’ve been doing something and working in the same job, the more oft en it happens.

For the past 12 months, I’ve been in a major “funk.” Finding out I had prostate cancer, having back problems, losing a parent, and realizing I can’t do all of the things I used to do proficiently 25 years ago, all were contributing factors to increasing negativity and the feeling of hopelessness in my life. I felt like I was running out of time, yet I was doing nothing about it.

So, I write this article to get me and anyone else who may be in a “funk” out of it.

Make a plan of action with some short term goals

• Find something that needs to be done, that you like doing and do it!
• Set a short-term goal that points you in the right direction and makes you feel good about yourself and reward yourself.

Organize your life

• Schedule at least 30 minutes each day on organizing your life.

Ask for help

• Have tasks you hate to do? Ask for help. You can’t do everything so find someone who is better than you and pay them to do them.
• Ask for constructive feedback from friends, co-workers, etc.

Make long term goals

• Begin with the end, just like when building a house, start with a picture in your mind of the finished product.
• Involve your loved ones, support is a crucial key to success.
• Be realistic.

Realize there are things you have no control over

• Worrying about things that are out of your control is a waste of brainpower, time, and talent.
• Spend your brain time wisely. Ask yourself, is complaining about this issue worth it? If you have no control over it, don’t worry about it.

Be Positive and do it!

• Allowing yourself to become depressed by thinking about how things suck adds no value to anything and waste precious time.
• Set a road-map for positive things to happen and start heading in the right direction.

Avoid people who drag you down

• Look for happy, positive, and successful people and spend time with them. Success breeds success.

Become more physically active

• Exercise helps prevent, and improves, a number of serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Research also shows that exercise helps reduce anxiety and improve overall moods.

Yes, we all get into those days, weeks, and sometimes even months of “Funk.” Don’t let yourself get dragged into the sludge of depression, because a few things aren’t going your way. Look at the situation, decide if there is anything you can do, decide if you need help or not, and head into the right direction.

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Posted In: ACCA Now, Management