How To Get Out Of A Funk And Back In The Flow

 

Last night I facilitated a strategic visioning session for a non-profit. Even after three hours, I came home full of energy and excitement. Because there’s nothing more invigorating than doing your work.

When you focus on what Gay Hendricks calls your “Zone of Genius”, it’s like you create energy. Time seems to fall away as you revel in the pleasures of the task in front of you.

The irony is that this is the last time you need a boost of energy.

Instead, you really need it when you’re misaligned and off-target. Because that’s when you feel drained and depleted.

It’s exhausting to question and second-guess yourself instead of taking aligned action. Wondering if and how and why robs you of the ability to connect with your natural sense of ease and flow. Plus you can even get more tired just from being tired!

So here’s what to do when you want to get out of a funk and back into the flow:

1. Know that the funk normal.

It’s complete natural to have bouts of “down-time” to integrate and reflect. I spend a few days feeling like I barely have the energy to even blog every month.

When you grow as fast as we do as soul-conscious entrepreneurs, you need to counter that expansion with quieter time spent grounding and processing. The problem comes when you try to push through that quiet time instead of accepting it.



2. Stay connected.



Your first reaction may be to hold up in your home and not interact with anyone. How could you when you have nothing to say for yourself? I get it, truly. But you need to do the opposite.

Reach out to a small, select group of people to share that you’re in that funky place again. They’ll help remind you of your greatness and check in on you when you feel like you’re alone.

If you want to take it further, volunteer to help someone – just being helpful will help you feel better.

3. Do your work.

When you’re in the middle of a funk, it’s easy to beat up on yourself for being a confused, hopeless failure. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help dissipate the confusion any faster. In fact, it can add to it.

Instead, you have to do the last thing you might think you deserve – spoil yourself.



Meditate, go for a run, take a bath, read a book – better yet, start writing your own book. Paint, go dancing – whatever makes you feel like you is what you need to do.

Because a funk is an opportunity to get more attuned with who you are and where you’re going.

Think of it like a rest stop to recalibrate and re-orient your maps. When you suspect you’re off path, you can’t get back on target by pushing yourself to keep going. That’s a waste of effort.

You need to stop, reconnect with your vision and passion, then move forward refreshed.

Your turn! Share your go-to trick to move from funk to flow in the comments below.

Be free. Be brave. Be YOU!

Love,
Alexis