A funk can come out of nowhere — like the Swamp Thing, pulling you down before you even have time to yell…what the…

One day you’re closing deals, writing thirty pages, lining up your dream date, etc..

The next – you’re in sweatpants on the couch watching re-runs of Saved by the Bell whilst eating a jar of almond butter with a spoon, whilst pouring in Hershey’s syrup. (I’ve maybe dabbled in this…)

An ill-placed funk can take your goals, hopes, and dreams, and put them in the hands of Facebook, spending hours meticulously going through friends profiles to see how their jobs, their houses, their cats are much more glamorous than yours. And once you’re in a funk, trying to escape can feel like trying to make it through a corn maze, in the dark, after happy hour.

So how do we avoid — you know— getting funked in the first place?

4 Keys to Avoid Being Funked

1. Stop Comparing…

We have a rampant disease in America that I call Obsessive Comparison Disorder. 9 out of 10 doctor’s agree this disorder is the leading cause of eating a whole sleeve of Oreo’s while watching When Harry Met Sally.

Just say no to comparing YOU with THEM.  Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side, until you get there and realize it’s because of all the manure.

2. Change Your Playlist

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good Bon Iver, Band of Horses, Ryan Adams, Sufjan Stevens playlist as much as the next twentysomething. The kind where you feel transplanted into the middle of a drizzly day in Seattle, sitting in the forest on a stump, drinking Starbucks and wrestling with life’s greatest questions. What could be better?

But we can artificially keep ourselves in a funk by continually playing the same sad songs over and over again.

Know when your sad season is over and you just need to freaking dance.

3. Turn off the TV

Not only does TV suck more time than a Hoover sucks bowling balls. But it spits out funks like a slot-machine running all 7’s.

For me, watching TV takes my Obsessive Comparison Disorder and intensifies it x 137. It magnifies my insecurities like an ant on a summer sidewalk, cooking them until I burst.

I’ve had to just say no to TV. Instead of worrying about missing my shows, I’ve decided to worry about missing my life.

4. Get Away

Take a walk. A swim. A drive. Something. Anything. For me, I hike and pray. No phone. Just me and whatever thoughts I have left from all the noise. It’s amazing how different I feel remembering that there are bigger things than me and my problems.

Please, Don’t Go Funk Yourself

Anyone have other tips for breaking out of a funk?

Photo Credit: Jeff Nix via Creative Commons