Funks and Eating Elephants

I haven’t had a spring in my step lately. I’ve been in a bit of a funk. But I’m coming out of it just like the flowers from their seeds. Spring does absolutely refresh me but I also tend to get in my own head about ALL of the things I need to do and either get caught up in the figurative weeds and miss the big picture or get overwhelmed by the immensity of it all, I’m not sure which, probably both.

It’s a complete ‘how do you eat an elephant?’ situation. The tasks are so numerous and the work is never done so how do I do it all? Well, the honest truth is, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I get such Analysis Paralysis that I don’t do anything. My husband kiddingly calls me ‘Jack’ in those times…like jacking around and spinning my wheels. It’s true. I often need to unwrap myself from my own mind where I can get so deeply lost. Then I STOP. Think about what I can do RIGHT NOW and do it. What needs done right now? Do that. If I think too far ahead or of all the tasks that are not done, it’s overwhelming.

For me, making lists of small tasks is helpful. I break things down into small “bite sized” pieces. For instance, if I have 5 varieties of scabiosa to plant (that’s about 600 seedlings) it feels overwhelming to write “plant scabiosa” on my To-Do list. So I break it down. ‘Plant Black Knight scabiosa’, ‘plant Oxford Blue scabiosa’ etc. That’s way more manageable. I get to cross, say the 3 varieties I get to that day off of my list vs. leaving “plant scabiosa” on the list until all 5 varieties are actually planted. I didn’t get it all done, it’s still staring back at me from my list, and that’s a failure. Instead, I try to set myself up to succeed, at least a little.

You know what else helps, sunshine.

Trudging through endless work is even less fun when it’s dark and dreary. Warming up only to cool right back down or, heck why don’t you just SNOW. Spring is tough. It’s a lot of hurry up and wait and then hurry hurry hurry! And just when you start getting caught up with planting and seeding, tulip mania starts!

If you’re in a rut…I feel ya. I feel like it’s definitely my personality to also feel guilty about being in a rut or funk or not my normally positive self. It’s also a bit of our society though too. In general, it seems the goal is always ‘happy’ and if you’re not always there, something is wrong. But that’s not always true. It’s totally okay and normal to sit in that space of funk. (Of course, there is a difference between feeling this all day every day or diagnosed depression. That’s not what I’m talking about at all.) I’m just saying life is hard, things are good and sometimes they’re not, and you don’t always have to be the poster child of happiness.

It’s been a big mindset shift for me to realize that. I’m a work in progress, as we all are, but I instantly feel a smidge (sometimes just a tiny drop) better when I remind myself to take a deep breath and don’t add guilt to my feelings when I’m in some sort of funk. Instead, I sit with it, let it be funky, and when it starts to pass I try to reset my trajectory.

If you’re ready to get that spring back in your step. Step 1) Go outside when it’s sunny. If you have a lot to do, still, sit in the sun first. Put your face in it and breath.

Then make a list of what needs to be done. Then make another list with each of those “things” broken down into manageable pieces. Do the one small piece that needs done now. There you go, you’re eating that elephant. And you have sun on your face too.

I’m coming out of my funky phase thanks to the blooming tulips and I sure as heck am going to be soaking up the sun. It’s more than coincidental that the flowers are starting to push out of the ground, bulbs are blooming, and the sun is showing its glorious face a little more often too.

If you’re down or off, be that way, it’s fine. But limp your funky self out to the sun and see if that doesn’t do ya a little bit of good. You can eat your elephant later.