What do you do to get you out of a funk?
- Thread starter LXEX55
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Bryan Barnfellow
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
For those of us who have a mate/partner/spouse, one of the best ways is to seek their help and advice. Two heads are usually better than one and someone very close to you often knows what might help the most.
-BB
-BB
When we go out to dinner, we try to notice a young couple that we don't know, that might be encouraged by a free meal. And then we pay for their meal anonymously. It's really the best. We get the staff in on it and everyone gets a boost. And it doesn't cost much but makes us happy every time we go to that particular restaurant.
Something I just thought of: getting up earlier.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210528114107.htm
I've noticed a mood-brightening effect from getting up earlier just one day.
Of course this suggestion may be blasphemy to some RE folks out there.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210528114107.htm
I've noticed a mood-brightening effect from getting up earlier just one day.
Of course this suggestion may be blasphemy to some RE folks out there.
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Something I just thought of: getting up earlier.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210528114107.htm
I've noticed a mood-brightening effect from getting up earlier just one day.
Of course this suggestion may be blasphemy to some RE folks out there.
I get up when the cat yowls - usually a little after 5 am.
Rummy
Recycles dryer sheets
I go next door and play with "Mavis".... My neighbors' Goofy Great Dane... She always makes me smile ?
SLC Tortfeasor
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My wife and I were just talking about this subject this morning. We're not yet retired and still have two elementary-school aged kids. But we're on track to retire in 10-15 years. I was telling my wife about my concern that when our kids are grown and we retire, I will feel adrift and life will feel meaningless. Our young kids and our jobs provide most of the purpose and structure for our lives now. When those things are gone, what's the point? I've got a long bucket list of mostly travel-related things I want to do. But I fear that even if we're enjoying great trips and getting plenty of exercise, life may just feel empty.
My wife pointed out that she gets a great sense of meaning and connection from her Zen Buddhist group. They are a strong community where everyone has to pitch in and help with various activities. That keeps her busy and gives her a really deep social connection with those people. For a long time I've had no interest in anything like that because it sounded too much like work. But now I'm starting to get it, thanks to my wife.
I think there's a lot of science on what makes people feel truly happy in life. And as I recall, a feeling of purpose and social engagement are two of the biggest factors. That's what I'm going to be focusing on. I think I need more than just financial security and fun activities, good meals, relaxation and lunch or dinner with friends. I think I want a greater feeling of purpose in life, like I'm contributing to something bigger than myself.
On this thread, various folks have suggested various activities for getting out of a "funk." What I'm suggesting is that for me at least, I think many of those activities will feel like temporary band-aids or mere distractions from the fundamental cause of that "funk."
Exercising, meeting friends for lunch, pursuing my hobbies -- all of these things are are well and good, but none of them will really give me the feeling of purpose that I think is essential to really banish the funk.
I second that, having been part of a Zen group since 2006. The main point with the practice is not developing social connections, though that inevitably happens, but realizing the interpenetration of all things. Along with that comes a great sense of completeness and satisfaction in each moment, regardless of conditions.
I've always been uneasy with depending on conditions for happiness. What happens when we can't do that sport or hobby anymore, when a loved one dies, or when all our glorious retirement plans get scuttled because of a pandemic? I'm curious about how my mind creates happiness, and meditation has been an excellent way to study this.
iloveyoga
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
When I am feeling good I make a list of things that make me happy that I can refer back to when I am not so happy. It usually surprises me and helps at least a little. For me the list includes yoga and other exercise, getting outside, sunshine, and or coffee with a friend. The trick for me is to add to the list when feeling up.
MC Rider
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Music has always been the best picker upper.
Particularly Dylan with Rainy Day Women.
I would not feel so all alone..........
Particularly Dylan with Rainy Day Women.
I would not feel so all alone..........
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Music has always been the best picker upper.
Particularly Dylan with Rainy Day Women.
I would not feel so all alone..........
Yep, that's why I have a thousand CDs or so. Not as cheap as Valium, but more effective. YMMV
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Not always, but often, just staring out at the blue Pacific does it for me - especially with my favorite music playing in the background.
Not a direct solution, but thought these 2 articles are worth a read and may contain kernels that might help.
Is Being Too Comfortable Killing Your Happiness?
What Denmark can teach us about the trap of privilege
https://forge.medium.com/is-being-too-comfortable-killing-your-happiness-259c82e784a0
"...there is a poverty in wealth, but there is also a wealth in poverty."
And also this one:
The 5 keys to a good life are meditation, memento mori, gratitude, minimalism, and flow
https://betterhumans.pub/the-5-keys...ri-gratitude-minimalism-and-flow-7a6ec2b9db6f
omni
Is Being Too Comfortable Killing Your Happiness?
What Denmark can teach us about the trap of privilege
https://forge.medium.com/is-being-too-comfortable-killing-your-happiness-259c82e784a0
"...there is a poverty in wealth, but there is also a wealth in poverty."
And also this one:
The 5 keys to a good life are meditation, memento mori, gratitude, minimalism, and flow
https://betterhumans.pub/the-5-keys...ri-gratitude-minimalism-and-flow-7a6ec2b9db6f
omni
Gremlin
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Great articles, both of them. Thanks for posting. The first regarding Denmark just confirms what I’ve felt for a while: to a degree, we are victims of our own success In regards to the second article, I especially enjoyed the part about evolution, our brains, and anxiety.
“In short, we live in a delayed return environment while our brains were originally wired for immediate returns. This makes sense if you compare our hunter-gatherer ancestors to contemporary humans. The former lived from day to day and didn’t own more than they could carry while the latter (ie. you and me) are told to provide for the distant future and prepare for the right career decades before these things will actually play out.”
Kroeran
Full time employment: Posting here.
“ and flow”
Something that so occupies your attention that it crowds out negative thought patterns.
Key is that said activity should be sustainable, hopefully productive, but not necessarily, hopefully not a vice with downward spiral.
Negative thought patterns may be an evolutionary adaptation to prod you toward productive flow.
Something that so occupies your attention that it crowds out negative thought patterns.
Key is that said activity should be sustainable, hopefully productive, but not necessarily, hopefully not a vice with downward spiral.
Negative thought patterns may be an evolutionary adaptation to prod you toward productive flow.
Kroeran
Full time employment: Posting here.
Not waiting out or fixing or distracting from issues and reaching for chemistry or vice is the easy door, but the downward slope
Extra Medium
Recycles dryer sheets
When I'm feeling down, my dog seems to sense it before anyone else (sometimes before I realize it myself), and zooms in for love.
Otherwise, working out, running, or a bike ride helps me.
Silly comedy can help, too. Or doing something that helps someone else. And Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius had a lot to say about days he felt like staying in bed.
Otherwise, working out, running, or a bike ride helps me.
Silly comedy can help, too. Or doing something that helps someone else. And Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius had a lot to say about days he felt like staying in bed.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I think most people have cycles of moods. No idea whether it's simple brain chemistry or an unrecognized "circadian rhythm" equivalent. From time to time, I feel "down" and yet I realize I'm not facing any big issues. Other times, I'm "up" and yet I'm dealing with some problems that would normally make me feel a bit "down." I assume that an exaggerated form of this would be bi-polar disease (or in older terminology, manic/depression.)
I have learned to just wait it all out and, for the most part, I accept it as "normal" - whatever that is.
Heh, heh, someone mentioned a dog being perceptive to their feelings. DW's cat (long since gone to kitty heaven) used to commiserate with her - especially when she was down. It was something to see.
I have learned to just wait it all out and, for the most part, I accept it as "normal" - whatever that is.
Heh, heh, someone mentioned a dog being perceptive to their feelings. DW's cat (long since gone to kitty heaven) used to commiserate with her - especially when she was down. It was something to see.
