Are you in the funk zone?

Do you ever find yourself in the "funk zone?"  What is funk anyway?

My beautiful Lori and I were recently visiting Santa Barbara and went through the "Funk Zone."  In Santa Barbara the "Funk Zone" is not a terrible place.  Rather, it's the opposite!  It has boutique wine tasting rooms, cafes, galleries, shops and night clubs.  In the musical sense, it's really more of the funky zone.  Santa Barbara's Funk Zone is a fun and happy place!

In the traditional sense, being in a funk or in the funk zone is not quite as entertaining or joyful.  Being in a funk means that you are sad, depressed or melancholy.  Let's say you get your report card and your grades are worse than you thought, for the next week you might be in a funk.  Or your best friend moves to another city ... in another state ... on the other side of the country ... you are now in the funk zone.  Or your girlfriend/boyfriend breaks up with you.  No doubt that we've all been there, whether we defined it as such or not.

Time is needed to travel out of the funk zone, but how much time depends on whether or not you allow yourself to linger in this state.  Yes, it is up to you!  The longer you linger the deeper your funk zone will get, making it even harder to get out.  Sadness is an important part of life; as it's been said in many different ways, happiness would have little meaning if you didn't know the feeling of sadness.

Moving from sadness to happiness, or from a funk to funky, can be achieved with a few simple steps.  Notice that I said the steps are simple, the process isn't necessarily easy, but the steps are simple:

1. Acknowledge that you are sad or in a funk.  Many times people around you will ask "what's wrong?" Possibly agitating you.  Realize that they care and they noticed you are acting different.
2. Identify what is causing your funk.  This may or may not be obvious to you.  Maybe a pet died, a friend moved away, or you didn't get a promotion at work.
3. Accept that bad things happen and we don't always get everything we want.  However, as the famous Rolling Stones song says "but if you try sometimes you just might find that you get what you need."
4. Cliche alert!  Visualize your happy place!  Remember the good times that you've had with the pet or your friend.  If you'd rather not ... then imaging yourself at the beach watching a sunset or in the mountains with no distractions, just you and nature!
5. Understand that this isn't the end ... it's the beginning of another chapter of your life -- THAT YOU GET TO WRITE!
6. Write the next chapter of your life.  Yes LITERALLY WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE TO LOOK LIKE!  Don't make it all rainbows and gumdrops, wishing for the easy life.  Write some challenges into your next chapter.  Grow your skills, your mind, your spirit!
7. Begin to live out that chapter

Have a blessed day!