10 ways to defunkify your day

After some discussion on the 4th Frog Facebook page, it seems that several people had a case of the Mondays going on today, where they were just feeling in a funk.

Some days are like that, aren't they? I know I've been there. So I started thinking about what I do to defunkify my day. Here are some things that work for me:

1. Have a good cry. You know, one of those ugly cries like Meg Ryan had in "When Harry Met Sally" when Sally found out that her former boyfriend was getting married. Or an even uglier cry, like Julia Roberts had in Truvy's beauty salon in "Steel Magnolias."
   
2. Watch a favorite movie. It doesn't have to be a funny movie, necessarily. Just one that is so familiar to you, it feels like putting on a cozy sweater. For me, it's "The Holiday" or one of the two noted in #1.
   
3. Eat ice cream. Not the relatively healthy soft-serve stuff. I'm talking the Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby or Jerry Garcia.
   
4. Go for a walk/run/bike ride. I know, it's totally counter to #3, but the truth of the matter is, sometimes exchanging mass quantities of oxygen and carbon dioxide in my lungs makes the rest of me feel better, too.
   
5. Color. Pick up the crayons and a coloring book and color. Markers won't do it. Colored pencils, maybe. And it has to be a coloring book. Drawing my own pictures is too much pressure when I'm in a funk.
   
6. Phone a friend. It probably won't net you a million dollars, but it will likely help lift the funk.
   
7. Pump up the jams. (That's listen to music for those of you not quite as hip as me...insert totally embarrassed teenager here...) My choice to break out of a funk is either show tunes or praise & worship music. But if Florence & the Machine or Led Zeppelin work for you, go for it.
   
8. Treat yourself -- a mani/pedi, a trip to Target or the Hallmark store all by your lonesome, a new pair of shoes. Don't break the bank to do it, but if there is any way you can give yourself a little retail therapy, it can help.
   
9. Take a long hot bath or shower and wash the day away. Something about stepping out of the shower all clean and warm gives me a little lift.
   
10. Pray. I know, it should probably #1 on the list. I'm working on that. Pray. Out loud. Silently. With a friend. In a church. In your car. Memorized prayers. Whatever is on your heart. I can't promise it will work as instantly as ice cream, but it will probably stick with you longer. 

Oh, and if you've been in a funk for a while and none of the above seem to work, then please consider this last one:

11. Pop a pill. I'm not advocating illegal self-medication. Sometimes what we think might just be a funk is really true depression, which is not weakness. It's a real, medical condition that has real, medical options for treatment. After trying to white-knuckle my way through the past three months or so, I finally waved the white flag of sanity and am back to taking an antidepressant. It doesn't take away those things that were putting me in a never ending funk, but it does allow me to cope with them better. 

Is there something I missed that is a good way to break the fog of a funk? Please, share what works for you.

A Friend In Need and the Wisdom of Pooh Bear

Today's guest post is from my long-time bloggy turned real-life friend, Liz, who you can find at her blog, Eternal Lizdom. Thanks Liz for helping out while I'm spending time with my family, celebrating the life of Mike's mom.

Sometimes, it is so hard to know what to do or say when someone you know is going through something difficult. My first response is always that I am praying for them. And I mean it- they aren’t words I use lightly and I will lift them up in prayer immediately and anytime they enter my mind after that.

For some situations, prayer and kind words are all I have to offer.

But what about the other things that friends do for us? What are the things that you are particularly good at doing when someone is facing hard times? And what holds you back from reaching out and asking to help?

Maybe you make an awesome casserole that is insanely easy to reheat and serve. Maybe you also make delicious cookies. What stops you from throwing together that meal and dropping it off to a friend going through a hard time?

Maybe you knit or are otherwise crafty. Why not knit a scarf for a friend who is hurting and give it to them with a note that says “wear this and feel my arms embracing you as you go through this difficulty?” Or maybe a blanket they can snuggle up with- those fleece knot blanket or a simple pieced together quilt?

You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.

Maybe you are great at entertaining kids. Why not call up your mom friend who has a husband who is out of town on business and she’s been frazzled with work stress and health issues and money problems and offer to pick up the kids and give her a few hours to herself?

Maybe you are an artist. Why not paint or draw a calm and serene picture full of calm and warm colors to give to someone who is hurting?

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

Maybe you just know the things that leave you feeling loved and you can give that to someone. Schedule (and pay for) a massage appointment for a friend who has helped you through some fitness hurdles and is suffering some muscle and tension pain. Make a comfort basket of their favorite treats- wine, chocolate, Diet Coke, fuzzy socks, a cozy scented candle.

Maybe you like to work outside. What stops you from going next door to your widowed neighbor’s yard and mowing or raking or shoveling snow?

And maybe you can write and reach people with your words. What stops you from writing a guest post for a friend’s blog or writing a post that asks others to help someone? Why not start typing and use your words and network to uplift and support?

A friend in need is a friend indeed. I hope that my friends know they can call on me when they have a need- just like my friend Amy did. I also hope that I can be in tune with the people around me and that I can see a need and not be afraid to reach out and fulfill it. That I can let down my guard and not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone to make a positive impact in someone’s life, to show them that they are thought of and cared about and loved.

"Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have."