Sometimes I’m in a funk. Whether it’s hormones, circumstances, fatigue, my own negative thoughts or a combination, the funk feels very real. In the past, I’d let the funk win. It would suck me in, I’d feed into it with my thoughts, words & actions and it would become quite powerful (read: destructive). I felt like I was a victim of the funk. It felt paralyzing – like the funk itself prevented me from moving towards my goals.
I was wrong.
If you’d rather listen to this post than read it, please click here to listen on my Anchor channel. Note: Anchor is not my podcast, it’s a more casual short form audio channel.
Here’s what I know now: action is the antidote.
You cannot wait for it to pass while you sit in it. You have to choose your way out of it, one small, simple choice at a time.
When we feel down, unmotivated, frustrated, emotional, depressed, or anything along the spectrum of feelings that discourage us from taking action towards our goals, we have two choices.
- Fuel the funk with inaction, negative thoughts and perseverating on problems & emotion.
- Choose our way out of it. Create a new state through action.
I completely understand that the last thing you want to do when you’re in a funk is eat a fat loss friendly meal or go to the gym. While those are options, they aren’t the only options. I like to simplify this by asking myself, “What is one action I can take right now to move out of this funk?”
Sometimes it’s as simple as taking a shower. Sometimes it’s as easy as putting on my favorite song. Other times it’s sitting outside for 10 minutes or reading a few pages of a motivational book.
I love keeping motivational books on hand, full of underlines, highlights and notes. When I’m feeling down, a few minutes with one of these books makes a huge difference. My go-tos include:
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard
Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron
No matter how you look at it: action is the antidote. We are always one choice away from feeling better. Every single moment is a blank slate and every choice is a chance to advance in the direction of your goals.
Today’s workout made me happy. It was solo (not at the gym) and pain free.
EMOM 21
12 cal bike
8 burpees
12 pushups
It was just enough to push me with enough rest to allow me to bring 110% effort to each minute. Workouts are what you make them. I always want to bring my total effort and not sandbag.
On the food front:
I planned to fast today but I didn’t. The decision to fast was a mental one, not a physical one – to remind myself that hunger comes and goes in waves and I am strong enough and aware enough to ride them out.
However, I made the conscious choice to have one large meal around 4pm and I feel good about that. I was feeling tired and unfocused and I wanted to feel energized and focused. The meal definitely did that for me!
In my Oxo Salad Chopper I combined raw red & green shredded cabbage with half an avocado, 2 hardboiled eggs, 2 slices of bacon and a drizzle of macadamia nut oil. Carbs from the cabbage & avocado, protein from the eggs, fat from the eggs, bacon, avocado & oil.
For more on my thoughts about fasting, you can listen to episode 307 of the Primal Potential podcast.