How to Get Out of a Mental Funk

First, let me start off by saying that I have found that the thing that I enjoy most in life is making the people I'm around and connect with happy.  I love being able to put smiles on people's faces and making people laugh.  It may sound corny, but it's very true.  With that said, I must admit that for a while I had a very difficult time putting a smile on my own face.

For a period of several months, I was stuck in a phase that I like to label a "mental funk".  Nothing interested me.  As hard as I tried to enjoy new things, I simply could not keep an interest in anything for very long.  Even the things that I used to enjoy were not very enjoyable.  Every smile seemed forced.  Every laugh seemed fake.  I was not happy.

During this period, anyone I met never really got to meet me.  I hid myself in a shell and would not allow anyone in.  People would ask me questions and I would give the simplest or most evasive answers possible.  Even my family and friends could not see the real me during this time.

At one point I looked in the mirror and saw a pathetic pitiful face looking back at me.  I knew it was time to change.  I knew it was time to do something.  I tried several times to just "snap out of it" but that really didn't work.  I needed something bigger and more in depth.

I finally realized, with the help of a good friend, that my attitude was at the heart of my problem.  It needed a major adjustment and I needed to find out how to adjust it. 

The conclusion I came to was that I was not allowing myself to have fun.  All of my thoughts were negative even when I tried to be positive.  When I was having a good moment, I would always think about a regret or worry about the future.  This would cause me to slip back into my mental funk.  So here are some quick points of advice for adjusting your attitude:

• Always think positive because thinking negative is a waste of time, thought, and energy.
• Count your blessings.  A friend reminded me one day that there are many good things that I have going for me.
• Do not waste time worrying about things you have no control over.
• Do not fear failure for that is the biggest killer of opportunity. Instead, embrace failure as part of the learning and growning process.
• Learn to make yourself uncomfortable and have fun with it, for that is how you grow.
• Find something that makes you smile and really put your heart into it.
• Follow your heart and your dreams even if it means doing something crazy (more on this later).

These things and some others have led to a major adjustment in my attitude.  I now see opportunity where I used to see difficulty.  I no longer limit myself.  I no longer hide myself.  I am living free and having fun because life is too short to waste it wallowing in self pity!

I will preface this section by saying that I am not trying to push any kind of religion on anybody.  Each person has their own individual beliefs and that cannot be changed.  With that said...

Toward the end of my mental funk, I decided to turn to the Bible for guidance.  I realized that I needed some sort of direction, and being Christian, I realized that it was probably time to look into the source of my faith.  The first day of reading my study Bible all kinds of light bulbs went off.  I started thinking about life and getting excited.

The biggest thing that I got out of the Bible was that I could change my ways without changing who I am.  I realized that it was certainly possible to break my shell and let my real self out.  I realized that it was possible to go from thinking negative to acting positive.

What is life really about?  Is it about accumulating money?  No.  Is it about getting with the prettiest girl?  No.  Is it about cars, clothes, houses, or flat screed TVs?  No.

I believe that life is about serving a greater purpose.  Life is a test.  Life is a dream.  It is about working as a team to create the most total happiness possible.  It is about forgetting about self and thinking about the common good of the world.  There are many paths in life that we can go down, and I believe that the one that leads to the most overall good is the one that will bring the most contentness.

In fact my new motto is: "Care less about money and more about people and you will have plenty of both in your life."

This is not necessarily about religion.  Of course, I could link it to religion, but that is not what I am getting at.  Them important this is that I got out of my mental funk by finding something that could inspire me to do good and feel good.

I'm in the process of breaking out of my shell in a big way. I'm launching a singing career. The only problem is, I can't sing. But I have so much fun doing it because I really get to let myself go, which is why I'm trying something crazy.

I'm actually putting my rise to glory up for the world to see. I created a website and uploaded some videos to YouTube. As I work hard at improving, the world will see my progress. I'm just having a lot of fun with it. I know it's crazy but it's fun!

The real reason for it, however, is to develop a following. The more people whose attention I can grab, the more people that I can reach with my message. I want to inspire while making people laugh and smile. You see, it's all coming full circle now.

So, my advice to you is be crazy. Let your real self loose. Do not worry about what other people think of you. Odds are, most people will love the real you if you let them meet the real you. First, of course, you must love the real you and bring the real you out of your shell. Do not hold back. Think and act with your heart and you will be happy! This is a great motto to live by.

Mental funks are temporary, while happiness should be long term!