5 Ways to Boost your Mood and Shake off that Work Funk

This year is going way too quickly. We blinked and now there’s only 4 months left of the year… Where did all that time go? We’ve been focusing on smashing some goals and sticking to our New Year’s resolution list and just like that, it’s time to start Christmas shopping again! You probably felt like you’ve hit a brick wall at work lately, with motivation becoming harder and harder to spark. It’s the brink of a burnout. Don’t worry, we’re all feeling it.

For me, the mid-year work depression usually hits around this time. I’ve been known to have the seasonal winter work blues from time-to-time too. I am not someone who enjoys feeling down, so I constantly try all kinds of methods to bring me out of that funk. I would love to share some that have worked for me and hopefully at least one of them will work for you too.

1. Identify the problem and seek the solution

If you’ve been feeling like this for a long time, try to slow down and take a few steps back – Taking some time off work to focus on yourself can help to identify the problems that’s causing this funk and gives you time to create solutions. Trying to write down what’s on your mind, this helps to clear it out of your head and release it. It can also assist you in understanding the root causes of your feelings.

2. Increase your productivity & stop procrastinating

A lot of people struggle with finding the answers to preventing procrastination. The truth is, it’s difficult to stop a habit once it’s ingrained in our repertoire. The most important thing is to be aware and try to identify any triggers.

Not sure where to begin? Start with a list of the easiest, quickest tasks and just start. Be sure to tick them off as you go. The feeling of completion is wonderful and will encourage you to tackle bigger, more complex tasks. Some say that how you do one thing is how you do everything, so you make sure you show up and try your hardest – you might be surprised by the domino effect it has on the rest of your life.

3. Take care of yourself

This one sounds obvious but when in a funky mood, even the simplest of steps may not be an easy task. Meeting your body’s basic needs may just get you back on track. Focus on small routines like getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water throughout the day, fresh air and vitamin D from the sun, as well as daily exercise – these are all known to improve your mood!

These can also be the hardest things to remember to complete in your day. Try scheduling reminders in your phone or on your calendar to keep yourself on track. You can even create focus times on your phone to automatically mute notifications at certain times. The Sleep Focus feature is great for beginning your night routine and to help get you to bed without distractions.

Other ways to help you reset could be exploring massages, yoga retreats, reiki energy healing or psych-k. No matter how ridiculous some of those alternative methods may sound – just give it a go, it might shift that stagnant energy for you.

4. Spending time with friends and family

It can be difficult to find the perfect balance between work and life. Deadlines, pressure and work distractions can wreak havoc on your social life. To top it off, most of us are working from home as well which can make it harder to create boundaries between work and personal life. Organisation and preparation can help to unblur the lines. Set work hours with a defined start and finish time, try to avoid meetings later in the day and limit email checking and responses to two times a day. By inhabiting some of these tips and locking in that knock off time. You are creating more time to spend with your loved ones.

5. Work projects that make you happy

Identify what makes you happy in your role and try to do more of that. Maybe you are ready to explore a new opportunity within your organisation. Put your hand up and talk about how you feel, don’t bottle it up!

Remember that so much in life is perspective and attitude. Change your perspective, change your life.