7 Things You Can Try to Get Out of a Funk this Pandemic

I’m Christian Foremost, a Filipino Blogger/Writer/Podcaster and mental health advocate who writes personal stories of growth, life advice, and refreshing perspectives to inspire you to love yourself. I promote daily journaling as a healthy outlet to express and explore one’s honest thoughts and feelings. The path towards self-discovery and actualization starts by acknowledging your truths and facing your problems head-on.

How are you all doing? I know it might be difficult to answer right now, but I do hope that you guys are okay. This pandemic has gone on way too long. We’ve all been staying at home and doing what we can day by day to survive despite the great uncertainty that clouds our future.

It’s also tricky because you can feel great one second and then bad an hour later. I often find myself in a mental funk, stuck without any will to go on. You can lose all motivation and drive to do your work or even accomplish the most basic things like getting out of bed or eating. You can easily forget all of your goals, all of your reasons or purpose because they just seem insignificant or ultimately useless. The quarantine and this pandemic have taken me to some very dark places in my mind.  It’s a very scary place to be and my advice would be to try to escape as soon as you can. Get out of your head and let yourself do anything that will help distract you or make you feel lighter for the moment.

7 Things You Can Try to Get Out of a Funk this Pandemic

The longer you stay in a mental funk, the deeper you go and the more it affects the other parts of your life. So you have to get away or escape. This week I’m listing down the 7 Things you can try that have helped me get out of a Mental Funk during these months under quarantine. Hopefully, you can find something for you or you can let me know what else I can try doing.

1. Journal

Journaling is my ultimate fix whenever I’m catching myself in an off mood. It’s my literal life savior. I think I write about 1000 words a day just to clear my head. Don’t think about what to write. Write about what you’re thinking. By writing your thoughts down, you’re unloading your brain from the burden of carrying those thoughts throughout the day. Most of my journal entries don’t make sense at all, but my brain is always left with all of this free and peaceful space afterward. Dispose of those negative thoughts because you don’t need them and clear your head for better things.

2. Sing or Dance For No Reason

I know it sounds stupid, but it works. Singing is fun even if you have a bad voice like me. You don’t have to be a singer to sing. If you enjoy doing it and then go for it. I use a Karaoke App on my phone called We Sing and just sing the songs that get stuck in my head. You don’t need to be good. Just let loose and allow the feeling of the songs to carry you.

Your eyes will definitely burn at the sight of me dancing. But if dancing is your thing, pump up the music and just dance to the beat of your heart. You may also follow along some dance videos online or try Just Dance Now on your phone. The point is to turn your brain off for a while and let yourself have fun.

3. Step Out of the Door

We can’t leave the house yes, but we can open the door and breathe in the fresh air. I rarely do this so every time I open the door, the fresh air seems so foreign to me. It must be because I’ve grown too accustomed to the stinky fumes of our boys’ bedroom. LOL. I think that taking outdoor walks or having an outdoor place to chill like a balcony just for a few minutes would give you a sense of calm, of just being.

4. Exercise or Do Home Workouts

Even during quarantine, I try to keep a strict workout schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always too lazy to workout. It would take so much effort to convince myself to do so! But I pull myself out of bed and start, I don’t regret it and I just keep moving. It feels so rewarding to finish a workout and you’ll feel so pumped to conquer the rest of your day. I can be on such a foul mood when I don’t work out but when I do, I feel so good.

5. Call a Friend

If you’re not feeling so good, your friend is probably feeling that too. Why not help each other out? Check on them from time to time, even if it’s just to say “Hi”. Nothing will beat face-to-face interactions and virtual hangouts are honestly really weird. I miss having company and just chilling with your friends, even when you’re not really doing anything. For now, though, chat, calls, and video rooms would just have to do. And hey, you guys can even make fun of the government together!

6. Clean or Do Some Household Chores

It’s super satisfying to clean or do house chores. You’ll just forget about the time and have some peaceful time for yourself. Cleaning is kind of therapeutic and allows you to have something to focus on for the time being. And isn’t it fun to clean? Just as long as your parents didn’t make you do it! Haha.

7. Sleep

This is the thing I look forward to doing every day. I have such great sleep: 10 hours of sleep during weekdays and even naps on weekends. It’s always a bummer to have to wake up and I would close my eyes for the few more minutes than I can spare.  Sleeping is better than anything else going on in my life and I don’t even really want to wake up anymore. Wake me up when this pandemic is over, okay? If your head hurts? Sleep. If you can’t with life anymore? Sleep. Sometimes, I have to lay in bed a few more minutes after I open my eyes, because I was just tired from sleeping. But yeah, nothing beats waking up after a good sleep. 

I hope you guys found something in the list that could help you if ever you find yourself in a mental funk. It’s totally understandable to not deal with things right now. Don’t spend too much time in your head. Distract yourself by doing other things or just turn yourself off a little bit. You can move or you can rest. Do what you think will make you feel better.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay Right Now

I’ve always been honest and open about my feelings because writing these blogs helps me process and understand them. For an over-thinker like me whose greatest fears are uncertainty and things beyond my control, I’ve been in a mental war-zone ever since the pandemic began. Every day, I rationalize my thoughts and feelings, fighting so hard to be okay only to be defeated again and again. Trying to be positive when all of these bad things are happening can feel toxic. I try so hard to hold on to the hope that things will get better, but will they? What if I have nothing to hold on to after all?

What I’ve realized is you don’t have to find the answer to all of your problems now. If you feel like there’s nothing you can do, don’t pressure yourself to figure it out. You just need to acknowledge the feeling and give yourself some time. Right now, I am not okay. There are days when I feel better, but I know that I am not okay. I don’t know how I will be okay, but I trust that one of these days I will be. In the meantime, I’m still going on with my life and if I feel a little down, I do things that make me feel somewhat alive. That’s what we are right? Alive.

Disclaimer: The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding your condition.

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