In a Funk

Photo found here.

I had the best intentions of finishing a post this evening about easy ways to integrate healthy habits into your life for optimal post-holiday health... and somewhere along the way I wound up in a no-good-very-bad mood instead. I don't know what set-off my pathetic evening slump, but it involved moping on the sofa, eating handfuls of high-fructose-laden store brand sugar cookies of the most evil variety, watching reruns of The Office I have seen at least twice before. Embarrassing? Incredibly. While I enjoy writing about health, am generally optimistic, and hate the thought of wasting a perfectly good evening to be an unhappy hermit (I was going to make soup!), none of us are immune to a sudden pang of frustration, self-pity, or hormones that leave us in a wilted heap for the remainder of the day.

So here's my question to you: How do you snap yourself out of a funk?

Do you have a good long sleep, or do you stay up all night watching scary movies? Do you hit the gym, or maybe take a day off instead? Read a trashy magazine, or dive into a literary classic? Ask for a hug, or need some time alone? Spend some time outdoors, or relish in the hours inside? Need to feel comfortable and relaxed, or seek to feel excitement and adrenaline?

Whatever helps you dislodge yourself from the melodramatic depths of despair, jump to it as soon as you can to prevent a bad day from snowballing into a bad week. As for me, tomorrow promises to be a busy day, and nothing helps me get out of a bad mood better than getting things done. With each task I cross off a to-do list, I sense my self-purpose and motivation multiply. But until you're ready to take some steps towards feeling positive again, don't stress about those bad days that come around every once and a while. It happens to us all.