by Lois Barth

Ever wake up with a slew of disappointing news (not the trainwreck of news we consume on a local, national and global level) and it’s not even 8am yet? 

Well that was what my morning was like! My wishlist of a consulting position that looked very promising, dropped out of the running. My weight is up by 6.6 lbs since COVID-19 (which is NOT muscle weight I can assure you) with and my “day day” hadn’t even begun. 

I know you can’t relate to any of this!

“Life is Talking. Make Sure You’re Listening,” is my go-to place. 

What can I learn from all this? How can I allow myself to be where I’m at, and still commit to shifting to a more positive productive place? 

Here are the steps I took and am taking today to Un-Funk My Day. Hope they are helpful and would welcome hearing how you Un-Funk your day.

Step #1- Rituals help to keep us grounded

Cranky, elated, and anything/everything in between, I stick to my first three rituals of the day; meditate, make the bed, and talk to my action buddy; usually in that order. For me, it takes the guesswork out of second-guessing myself.

Step#2- You got to feel it to heal it.

So much of my early messaging was that “I’m too much, too intense, too sensitive, blah blah blah,” and in that messaging (some of which was really well-meaning), I equated that with my feelings being bad or scary, thus enrolling a litany of tactics to numb myself out of my feelings, a very dangerous thing to do. 

Well in my goals to be awake and alive and of service, I need to do the opposite; let myself feel, all of it, not create a drama but feel them. Today my “Emotional Lasagna” of feelings/tactics included sadness, grief, despair, curiosity, awareness, gratitude, listening, on and on.

Step#3- Get Support

I immediately reached out to a friend regarding the weight piece, to gain clarity, and came up with a few practical strategies to lighten up my “covid-comfort” eating from a place of self-compassion versus self-flagellation. Thought about a few colleagues to reach out re: consulting positions that may be more of a fit.

 Step#4 Take Action

On the position front, I wrote a very gracious response to their “thanks but no thanks” email and acknowledged my future interest while giving a shout out to the person who interviewed me who did a fabulous job. I also revisited my things-to-do list for today and moved things around a bit to keep the pace more moderate and create a win for myself.

Step#5 Do Something that Lights You Up

This is it folks!!! 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE writing; sharing what I’m going through, my observations, the lessons I can glean, and specific call to actions that are a good reminder for myself and others. 

We are ALWAYS one thought, belief, or action away from feeling better about ourselves, our life, and the world around us!

That is how I UN-FUNK my Day! 

What resonates with you about my message?

What’s one thing you do to UN-FUNK your day?

I’d love to know!

Lois Barth is a human development expert, motivational speaker, coach, and thrilled to have delivered her first ‘book child,’ “Courage to Sparkle.” She champions women to share their brilliance and to live an authentic life. She speaks at women’s conferences all over the country and has been quoted in The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Fitness, Weight Watchers, and MSNBC.com to name a few.