I'm in a Funk...

I’m probably supposed to say something like “May the fourth be with you” at this point, but I just don’t have it in me. I have the teacher/mother/wife/writer/reader/friend blues. They are threatening to overwhelm me. 

But that’s not the whole story, is it? It’s never just a binary. A good or bad. Today, I had a beautiful day with all five of my children. We walked to the park and played football, we walked around the pond. We enjoyed the sunshine and each other's company. There were annoying moments of fighting. There always are. But it was a beautiful day to just be with them. We went to visit our house which is coming along so nicely. They are painting the exterior! We’re not done, but we are getting closer every day. 

Even with all of that, I’m still feeling a little down. A little sad. A little overwhelmed by it all. So, what’s a girl to do? Here are my ways of “getting out of a funk.” 

1. Journal. I don’t think there is anything quite like journaling to get me in a better head space. It’s like by writing down all of my feelings and experiences, I make room for myself to be reflective and thoughtful about what is happening around me. It gives me space for the contentment that comes only when we realize that two things can be true. 
2. Run. I’m not running tonight, mainly because I ran yesterday and I am officially of an age where I cannot do that. But, a long walk with Nathan after the kids have quieted down might be in order. 
3. Watercolor. There is something about watercolor that holds my brain’s attention. It’s the ultimate distraction when paired with an audio book. Right now I’m listening to The Sirens by Emilia Hart (Emilia Hart of the Weyward novel). So far, so good. 
4. Brain Dump. This is a bit like journaling, but more so when I’m feeling angsty because I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. I write it all down, then organize it into “Must Be Done,” “Can Be Done,” and “This Is Someone Else’s Responsibility.” I find that a lot of the time my list consists of work that really needs to be completed by others. 
5. Read. For this one to work I have to be in the right frame of mind. But! When it works, it works really, really well. I’m not typically a fan of avoidance, but for me, when I’m reading, I feel like my subconscious is actually doing its own processing. It’s like the narrative distracts my mind enough that I can actually problem solve. 

This list isn’t exhaustive. I just wanted to stop on an odd number. What do you do when you find yourself in a funk? Let me know in the comments.