Uff da.
For the past couple of weeks, I was in a real funk.
I was in a state of malaise pretty much every day. And I felt frustrated with myself that I couldn’t figure out why. I over-analyzed it, worried about it, and tried to make it go away.
What I noticed?
The more I fought it, the more it persisted.
So I eventually tried something else—I let myself off the hook. I allowed myself to be in a funk. I gave myself what I needed in the moment.
Maybe you’ve been in a funk or given yourself a hard time for feeling a certain way before, too.
What I learned is that the greatest gift we can give ourselves during times like these is a break.
Yup. A good ol’ fashioned hall pass.
This doesn’t mean we need to lose ourselves in something else that only takes us out of the moment even more. It means we lovingly acknowledge where we are in this moment and remember that funks happen. And nothing lasts forever.
When we give ourselves a break, we are honoring and accepting where we are in this moment. {Tweet that!}
Of course this isn’t very easy for the ego to accept. The ego wants to remind us just what we aren’t accomplishing or what we “should” be doing or why feeling this way isn’t okay.
Luckily, we are more than just our ego.
And when we choose to observe where we are with non-judgmental awareness and give ourselves a break, some incredible things happen.
1. We discover that things still get done.
Arianna Huffington talks about this very thing in an interview with Marie Forleo where she talks about priorities and to-do lists. And if we are really honest with ourselves, the stuff that has to get done, gets done. No matter how long our list is or how much we think we “should” do.
When we give ourselves a break, we can trust that the important things can still get done and everything else can wait.
2. We get a chance to slow down and reevaluate our values and priorities.
Sometimes we are in a funk or feeling bleh because we haven’t taken the time to understand what we value and how we want to prioritize our time. It’s easy to feel like slaves to our tasks and responsibilities. But, remember, we are always choosing how and where to spend our time.
Taking a break gives us a little breathing room to ask ourselves: is what I’m doing aligned with my values? If not, how can I shift things around so this is the case more often?
3. We are reminded that nothing lasts forever.
Just like seasons, everything changes. Including our moods and levels of productivity. Sometimes it is hard to remember this when we are in the throes of a funk. And yet it is still just as true.
When we give ourselves a break, we are lovingly reminding ourselves that this too shall pass.
Funks happen. Some days are better than others. The next time you experience this, give yourself a break instead of beating yourself up, and see if any of these are true for you.
I’m sure there are other things that can happen when we give ourselves a break. What am I missing here? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments below!
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