Self Improvement

How To Pull Yourself Out Of A New Year Funk

posted on January 11, 2019 | by Michele Lando

It’s that time of year where “new year, new you” seems to be plastered all over everything from social media to retail stores, but instead of “new you,” why don’t we focus on the current version of yourself and being happy as you are? There’s a lot of pressure to have all these goals and to start the year fresh, but holiday hangover is real and it’s easy to find yourself in a new year funk.

I’m a small business owner and entrepreneur, and while I absolutely love what I do, I’d be lying if I told you that everything was rainbows and roses. We all have days of self-doubt or times when we’re in a funk, so I wanted to talk about how to pull yourself out this mindset.

Look for positivity, even if it’s small tidbits of it

The first thing you should do when you’re trying to pull yourself out of a funk is to look for little bits of positivity. Go over positive feedback you’ve gotten from others, or think about something you’re looking forward to. Whatever makes you happy and confident in yourself and what you do, that’s what you want to search for when you’re in your funky mood. I really like to look back on positive client feedback or client success stories. The best part of what I do is helping others succeed in their career, so whenever I’m feeling down, I use positive feedback to motivate me.

It’s easy to let a negative mood or situation get you down, but it’s important to focus on positive aspects of your life to motivate you to move forward.

Get moving

Sitting around and dwelling on something that is stressing you out won’t help you. When you’re in a funk, get moving. Go exercise or even just take a walk around the block. If you have a pet, use this time to take your pet on a good walk! Pets and exercise help improve your mood, so this is a double whammy when it comes to ways to help you get out of your funk! I’m also a huge fan of exercise apps like Alo Moves, and was recently introduced to Nike Training Club which is totally free!

Whenever I’m in a funk, I always feel better after exercising. Even 20 or 30 minutes of moving can totally shift your mindset into a more positive space.

Set goals

Research suggests that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down. Set goals for yourself to hold yourself accountable. Additionally, this will give you something to work towards and look forward to, which will help you move out of your current (less than ideal) mood or state of mind.

When it comes to setting goals or new year’s resolutions, the key is to set attainable goals so you can realistically achieve them. Don’t expect to go on some extreme diet and lose 20 pounds in a month.

Instead, set the goal of adding more vegetables to your diet or add an extra few minutes of cardio into your workouts. Creating small goals makes you more likely to change your lifestyle instead of sticking with crazy and unrealistic changes.

Talk to a friend

It’s not always easy to tell someone you’re feeling down or in a funky mood, but talking to a friend about it can often lift a huge weight from your shoulders. There’s no need to be perfect all the time, and friends can often provide a fresh perspective or insight into how you’re feeling or how you can move forward. Give yourself the opportunity to shed some stress and talk to a friend to improve your mood.