5 Good Things: Getting Yourself Out of a Funk
That moment of your winter life when you need the season to change, so your mood can change.
FIND A PROJECT WITH A DEADLINE
I would like for this to be your sign to start something that you should have in 2024 but failed to due to the thousand excuses you gave yourself not to start it. That was meant to sound harsh, because reading it makes it more real than when you hear someone say it to you. This time you are actually going to start, proceed, do it and hopefully by mid-spring are either still doing it or have completed it. Do not mistake this as a hobby, because those are for pure mental escape and leisure, it allows you to focus on yourself on an ongoing basis, whenever it pleases you to. Well, so does the project except it comes with a deadline. Don’t make it work related, yet treat it like it’s work. These projects can be random and necessary, from painting your kitchen cabinets to the actual colors you prefer so that everytime you’re in the kitchen, it makes you a tiny bit happier. You can finally get to framing those art or photo prints that have been sitting in the corner of your room. This is frequently followed by rearranging your living space, which is a great project since moving certain furniture can instantly change the vibe and even your mentality.
Start journaling but for real and only for a month. For those who aren’t natural writers or journalers (my made up word), but feel the need, an urge to get feelings out and on to a page, journal everyday for a month. Then you can look back and read it again months later, and maybe feel glad that you did that for that brief period of time. That’s your proof of how you were able to get yourself out of emotional rut only to be in a better, uplifting place months later. Whatever the project is, however menial or time consuming, know that it’s important and the key is to have a deadline to finishing it. Let it be an accomplishment.
WATCH A FOREIGN FILM WITH SUBTITLES
The quickest way to escape worry is a good movie that has absolutely nothing to do with you or where you live. I consider myself a cultural free spirit, in that I am highly intrigued by regional accents, languages and observing how different people relate to their foods, their families and their social environments. The second I hear a foreign language I am hooked and become a spectator to their way of living and want to see more. I don’t think I could ever watch an intl film or series using audio dub, I love hearing people speak in their native languages, linguistics is never overrated, it teaches you everything you need to know about people (that’s obvious, right, but I think some ppl may not get that?).
Foreign film starter pack;
Spirited Away: if you watch this iconic Japanese anime film and learn some life lessons after watching it, then you watched it right. It’s cinematically magical.
A Tale of Summer: French girl aesthetic to the core, but so are all of Eric Rohmer’s films
In the Mood For Love by Wong Kar Wai: Visually stunning.
Shoplifters: a side of Japanese life we’re not accustomed to knowing about. A storyline about outsiders not fitting in with the norms of society, which is actually something every country knows about and can relate to.
Full Time: A French film about a single mother scraping by on housecleaning wages when she is qualified to work at a marketing conglomerate, struggling with at times no transportation or childcare.
The Housemaid: You’ll recognize a few award winning actors in this South Korean thriller drama. All I’ll say is - the ending.
A TABLE FOR ONE
I’ve written about the joy of eating alone, the guilt-free act of owning your time to just be with yourself. Sometimes you’re your own best company. True introverts know this, before it was frowned upon, the assumption that a table for one equals loneliness or despair. When your mood is such that being in the presence of other company feels intolerable, you need to go out by yourself to that one place that serves your favorite thing, eat as much as you want and wallow in the forgiveness of food.
REMOVE AND REPLACE
It’s as simple as out with the old, in with a new. Take out what no longer serves you and find something else that makes you feel good about yourself. Whether it’s an old coat that has served its purpose through the years, but for some reason the look or feel of it is stale, donate that and buy a new one. Something as easy as an article of clothing can refresh your outlook on things. A new coat can symbolize a new beginning, just as a new pair of shoes, a new pan. Material items can serve us in this way, because you’ve made the decision to improve and upgrade.
A GOOD F*CKING CRY
The type of crying that isn’t out of grief, the kind of crying that isn’t ugly, it’s that sad girl cry because you’ve tricked yourself into thinking that nothing is working. Crying can be healthy for the soul, allow yourself that vulnerability. It can be as raw or orchestrated as necessary, the cry itself is the emotional restart your hard drive of a brain needs. Too many untitled emotions can’t all fit so that one good cry in solitude creates more space. Extra credit if you even stare at yourself in the mirror during the crying session. Totally normal, everybody does that.
And with that I still want to unsubscribe from 2025. But something in my gut keeps reminding me to just let it play out. Not just with everything going on in current events, but in my own life. I have to let it play out, the mood swings, the not knowing, even the insecurities of becoming successful. Maybe being stuck in a funk is a form of mindfulness, forcing us to slow down.
Let it play out,
DNAMAG
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