Thread: We (don't) want the funk!

I thought I'd post this thread as a bit of a self therapy session and see how your experiences and tactics fare compared to my own...

The last couple of weeks, I've been in a bit of a funk. Not depressed, not angry, not regretful, just a funk. Some of you may have noticed my activity here drop off a bit. I can't really explain exactly how I'm feeling other than to say it's like a sense of frustration, though at or over what I cannot say.

To an extent, my job is in the same state as before I began feeling this way, though I have had a bit of added pressure recently. My marriage and fatherhood are still intact and thriving and seem healthy. I haven't lost any friends, nor had arguments with them. My self confidence is up where it normally is, and I really have few regrets in life. My diet and sleep schedule haven't changed either.

I just seem unsatisfied or ready for a change, which is usually the case when I get to feeling this way. This time just feels different, though. Stronger, somehow... I almost wonder if this is what getting old and crotchety is like, even though I'm in my early 30's...

After much internal reflection, the exact cause eludes me, but deep down, I know the solution is to simply pick myself up by my bootstraps and carry on. There's no sense in wallowing in bad feelings.

So, how many of you get into a funk from time to time, and what are your tactics for overcoming it? What do you think the main causes are (for you, anyway)?

I have noticed my energy level drop in the past month and I think it is due to the decrease in daylight hours. I am also eating more.
I have been fighting off a funk for at least six months-caused by financial problems, relationship issues,this wicked little town, and more financial problems. Something that helps me de-funk is hiking, fishing, and exercising.

Addition: I broke out my copy of The Three Pillars of Zen by Phillip Kapleau this morning. Reading some of the personal stories and meditating has improved my mood in the past. And of course, I find shaving with a straight and hanging out here at SRP inspirational and meditative.

I know what you mean, had a bit of a cold lately, starting to get a little chilly up here, and feeling a little bit of the old funk!

I take things as they come, I am where I'm supposed to be, and sometime you fade a little to blue, we can't all have great days. That, and a million other sayings, cliche's etc....

So, had to get some things accomplished today, did those without a great deal of steam, then figured I had better get my shave out of the way.

Down I went to my personal bathroom, sighed, lathered up, had a really nice shave (loving that Proraso Red more and more), used my brand new TI (wow), rinsed off, used the alum block, splashed some Club Pullman on....and lo and behold...I felt a lot better! Refreshed! Maybe the shave was a nice "grounding" for me, was just enough to change my attitude...remind me of the things I enjoy!

Everyone goes through similar down times. Exercise or an athletic sport definitely helps to break the cycle. Is there a project you've been wanting to do but never find the time to do it? This is the perfect time. The sense of accomplishment can get your mind turned around and your energy level up even if it's a fatiguing task. All the better if it's something you will enjoy afterward.

I don't know the daylight changes that occur in the other posters areas. I know for me, the summer months give us daylight from 3AM to 11PM, and the winter solstice approaches, it is 9AM to 5PM. This has an effect on me. I'm like a bear and feel the need for a lot of sleep and not much energy for activities. Perhaps we all feel it no matter what our latitude is and that is all we are going through. Perhaps a hemispherical migration may be the solution.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I don't know the daylight changes that occur in the other posters areas. I know for me, the summer months give us daylight from 3AM to 11PM, and the winter solstice approaches, it is 9AM to 5PM. This has an effect on me. I'm like a bear and feel the need for a lot of sleep and not much energy for activities. Perhaps we all feel it no matter what our latitude is and that is all we are going through. Perhaps a hemispherical migration may be the solution.

A hemispherical migration might make a difference... though the one I'm currently considering involves moving from Georgia to New Hampshire... kinda counter intuitive to your logic...

But, you may be on to something by saying it might be seasonal/weather/climate/daylight related.

I had one of these at the beginning of this year, caused by too much routine and too little quality time spent with my girlfriend. We started ballroom dancing, to spend some time together. She's been begging me for years to do so, but I refused because I don't want to start all over, as I've been dancing for four years. Now, though, I think I made the right decision to give in

Before I moved to my current house, I used to excercise a lot. There are plenty of sports clubs where I live now, but I simply miss my old friends and don't feel connected to these new guys. Cycling 10 km to the university and back every day, ballroom dancing, shaving and restoring razors have filled the gap, but I think I'll be going back to table tennis or doing gymnastics again soon (been saying that for a while).

What might also help, is going to a wellness resort for two days with your lady. We did and came home feeling like we'd had a vacation of a week!

You could, of course, also buy a motor cycle or a convertible, but then you'd be diagnosed with an early mid-life crisis.

The transition from one season to the next is generally what causes the 'funk'. We are going through a mental, physical and hormone re balancing act. In some its almost instant, "I'm the same all year around", to the long and drawn out with a lot of mood changes, "Where's my psychiatrist when I need him". I know that for me the Summer means a slowing down of creative energy because I'm heat sensitive and do not thrive at anything over 82 F. By the end of Summer I'm lethargic physically with a slow mind not far behind. Fall, for me, is my liberator where I slowly come alive again. The creative juices start flowing again, physically I become more active and I catch up on all the things undone from Summer. That carries me right through Winter into Spring when, for some reason, I find the need to do a reassessment of the previous two seasons before giving in to the inevitable Summer doldrums. All this followed by a double Vodka Gibson.

Originally Posted by crouton976

A hemispherical migration might make a difference... though the one I'm currently considering involves moving from Georgia to New Hampshire... kinda counter intuitive to your logic...

But, you may be on to something by saying it might be seasonal/weather/climate/daylight related.

Yea, don't they call it SAD...Seasonal Affective Disorder, mood changes, feeling funky, over-sleeping, over-eating, etc...seems to be well identified, looks like I got my piece of the SAD pie as well....

Maybe now is not the time to be using a straight razor?

Perhaps something is annoying you, something so routine you're not even thinking much about it?
Take a mental stroll through your week. Is there something that recurrs regularly and which you already dislike in advance? I agree you shouldn't wallow, but if something is draining away your energy, it's a good idea to deal with it instead of sucking it up and keep going.