Stuck in a funk? Do Not Start – It Is Not the Right Action

For several years I have been in therapy, however on reflection my life does not seem that different. Recently a friend told me of  ACT therapists near me acceptance and commitment therapy is a new generation of therapies for helping people overcome a range of conditions including depression, panic attacks, anxiety or stress. The list actually is much longer. However, the main reason I am writing this is because I have come to believe that the key to life is through action. Life is like a game of rock, paper, scissors. If you do nothing, then you lose. So the question is, what do you do?

So, back to my life, since November of 2008, I have been in a funk. I knew the feeling, it is simply a lack of action, which eventually turns into a lack of emotion. Over the period of a couple of years I would lose all emotions about things that I purchased or did not do.

The bottom fell out of my mood in early September of this year. I just did not feel like doing anything, or anything. It is important to note that this happened without medication. I do take medication, but for some odd reason I do not feel it necessary to take it. Some of the pills I took would have made my blood pressure so bad it is not recommended. Other medications I stopped taking, there was no reason to take them. There was just a lack of motivation. No, I am not being silly, this happened. You see I was in a funk. What this meant was I did not care. This is the beginning, this was the bottom. It is important to note that it is not a lack of motivation, just lack of feeling. I had no motivation to do anything, not even to wash my hands. Why, you ask? Simple, it did not matter.

I was not alone, I know many of you are in a funk like state, not caring what you do. How did I know I was in a funk? I was in a funk. I would lose motivation for a few days, after a week or two I would then slowly get it back. What this means is that you have to care.

The best way to get started is to take action, but not every action is the right action, and I am not saying that you should not do what you need to do, but make sure you do what is right, not what is easy.

For example, when your kids run out of the house, it is a good idea to yell at them, but it is not the right action, because that will make them cry. What is the right action? To climb the tree and find the ball of yarn, because that is the action which means they will cry. If they don’t cry, you did the right action.

As long as you do the right thing, nothing else matters.

I know it is difficult to care, but do it anyway, so you will care.

And for goodness sake, make sure you care enough, so that you will not be in a funk. You will know you are in a funk when you feel like you do not care, but that is not the case, but the effect is.

Now if you are stuck, do not start on something that is not necessary, and if you do start on something that is not necessary, abandon it. Do what you need to do, but do not finish. Do only what is necessary and do not worry about finishing.

This is the best way to avoid a funk.