Two Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Funk Quickly

When I was growing up I was a member of a small church in Queens, New York run by an amazing man, Pastor Larry Davidson. Pastor spent a lot of time with the young members of his church, myself included. I was a teenager in high school then, and Pastor Davidson’s straight talk about self-esteem, sex, jealousy, haters, love and joy, were everything I needed to hear as a young teenage girl whose father had passed away.

My friends and I used to joke about Pastorisms. Things Pastor Davidson would say all the time and that stuck with us. There were so many but here’s one that I immediately remembered as I woke up to the news that we had not elected our first female president this week:

“You do not have the luxury of a negative thought.”

Pastor Davidson taught us that negative thoughts are a luxury reserved for people who don’t have to fight. For what they believe in, for their actual rights, for their hopes and dreams, for equality.

If you are a person of color, a woman, LGBTQ or a member of another marginalized community, you do not have the luxury of a negative thought.

If you are a parent, you do not have the luxury of a negative thought.

If you are an entrepreneur, you do not have the luxury of a negative thought.

If you have not yet achieved the life you have dreamed up for yourself, you do not have the luxury of a negative thought.

Only action can take you to where you want to go, whether that’s a 7-figure business or equality for all.

Negative thoughts do not precede action. Negative thoughts lead to laying in bed for weeks at a time. You cannot afford to stay in bed all week. That luxury isn’t afforded to people like you and me. Maybe you get 24 hours and then you must rise up. You must keep fighting. You must continue to take action.

So how do you do that? How do you crawl out of bed when you feel defeated, gutted and like giving up?

Here are two strategies that are surefire ways to lift you out of a funk, and into action:

1. Get your dance on. Nothing resets the mind like physical activity, no matter if you are an athlete or professional couch potato (like I was not too long ago), our operating systems all work the same way. Going for a walk will solve more problems then you know. There are studies that show that physical activity boosts creativity — so if you need to solve world problems, business problems, marriage problems, parenting problems or any other problems, then you need to sweat. I know this to be true in my own life and it’s the sole reason I regularly exercise.
2. Commune. When you are in a funk that is not the time to be in isolationist mode. Deep connection with your loved ones, like-minded people and even strangers has a profound effect to reinvigorate us and remind us of our purpose. This week, my friend Robert shared a moment on the NYC subway with a stranger who put her head on his shoulder and began to weep. They spoke no words to each other, but they both helped each other heal. Grab a friend and go shopping, go talk shit over drinks, enjoy a meal together, eat ALL the ice cream together, but just do it together. Allow yourself to be lifted up by your community.

Whatever is breaking your heart right now, whether it’s the election results, your business not growing the way you had hoped, your marriage being on the rocks or anything else, I encourage you to take these two steps. They will make you feel better and lead you to creative solutions to these problems.

Need a boost right now? Watch this Facebook LIVE I did with my daughters yesterday, I dare you not to smile, laugh and feel better after watching us get our chair dance on to Yoncé. 🙂