How to get out of a life slump and defeat the blues

Have you ever slumped into the can’t-get-anything-done, dragging-your-feet, feeling-super-down-all-the-time-blues? Once you get stuck in that rut it’s hard to break out. But if there’s one thing I know, when momentum is headed in the wrong direction, I keep wasting time and stay in a funk. It’s time to break the cycle and beat the blues.

Leave the cave

Sunlight and fresh air stimulates you. Darkness and lack of clean oxygen stifles you.

Go outside for a walk or drive to a coffee shop and get out there.

Get Moving

Sometimes it takes getting off the couch and moving around. Get those red blood cells flowing to beat the blues. Working out is a great way to get going, but if you’re a person who exhausts themselves in the gym that might not help you move onto your next assignment.

I find listening to some inspiring music and simply doing some brief exercises gets me juiced and can break me out of a mini-slump.

Freshen Up

Stuck in the blues because you don’t have to get anything done? I assume you don’t feel any urgency so it’s hard to break out of your sluggish state. The best thing to do to jumpstart yourself is to hop in the shower and get ready. As long as you feel grimey and shower-less, you’ll feel sluggish as well.

Sleep

We rightly associate laziness with a person who sleeps too much or has bad sleeping habits. The person who sleeps at inconsistent times each night and for excessive amounts.

But what of sleep deprivation? We know that our body is a system. Just like it needs oxygen, protein, carbs, lipids and more, the body also needs sleep. Take food out of the equation and you slow down. Take oxygen out, and you won’t last long. Lack of sleep? You’ll barely be able to function. And you’ll feel down and depressed while doing it.

No self-loathing

Stop feeling bad about wasted time. Get over it, and get to it. I know that when you wake up with big goals, yet you look at the clock and it’s already 11AM, it can be hard to keep that motivation up. You feel down and beat yourself up that you let so much time slip away. Get over it. It’s done and got, but you’ve still got time to redeem. Don’t loath yourself anymore, don’t let the blues beat you.

Single-Minded Focus

It can be hard to start the day right and be purposefully proactive. Know exactly what you absolutely must get done that day. If you do accomplish anything, accomplish that.

Get your sustenance

Garbage-In-Garbage-Out. Your mood largely depends on what you put into your body. Lots of simple cards and sugars? You’ll feel tired. Vitamin deficiencies? You’ll feel terrible. Too much fast food? You’ll want to spend extra time in the bathroom-not the #1 place to beat the blues.

But eating foods that are low on the glycemic index and offer actual nourishment will help energize you. Vegetables and fruits with the extra moisture they carry will make you feel great. Healthy proteins help your body recover.

Eating this stuff will make you feel better about yourself. Eat well, and crush the blues.

“This mortal form has grown weak. I require sustenance!”

Actually, right before I began to write this article I ate about 1,200 calories (4 servings) of fried orange chicken I’d bought from Trader Joe’s. Now I feel terrible–and awesome. I want to eat more, and take a nap. Fortunately it’s a Sunday. This is not a recommended beat the blues strategy.

Get Your Mental Sustenance

People that increase their competencies are happier than those who don’t. Investing in yourself makes you feel great, and that’s key to beat the blues.

One option is to take some online courses or even earn a degree, as this will keep you mentally sharp and therefore happy. If you already have a university degree, consider going for a master’s degree. You can take your courses in your spare time, and you might even find that you want to pursue another career after completing your degree. Learning new things is a surefire way to beat the blues by taking you to cognitive heights that you have never before experienced.

If Garbage-In-Garbage-Out is true of food, it’s also true of what you’re shoveling into your mind. I haven’t read the science on this subject recently, but I’m guessing surrounding yourself with messages that don’t point you higher will emotionally drag you lower.

Beat the Blues

Don’t let a single bad day or sluggish start knock you off course. I know it can be paralyzing when you’re not getting the right start and you’ve got big responsibilities ahead. It’s a challenge, but I have no doubt that if you’re the type of man to read this article, that you’re up to the task of beating the blues.

Dealing with the post-holiday work blues? These tips can help you get back in the swing of things.

When Christmas is over and the next major holiday break you have to look forward to is Easter weekend, it can be easy to fall into a slump. After spending weeks on end indulging in family time, delicious homemade food, and Christmas movie marathons, having to go back to a full work schedule feels unbearable. However, the end of the holidays doesn’t have to mean the start of your post-holiday slump. The next time you don’t want to work, use these expert-backed tips to turn your dread into productivity.

Who says you have to leave the holidays behind once Christmas is over? According to clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, PhD, author of Joy From Fear, you can beat the post-holiday blues simply by bringing the holidays to the office with you.

“Embrace memories of the holidays that you can take with you into the new year,” she says. “It can be helpful to take a great holiday photo to work as a reminder of the love and connection that will always be a part of you! Even if the holidays have ended, the fun-filled memories remain!”

When the post-holiday blues take over, an easy way to get back into the swing of things is with an office plant. “There is an abundance of research now to support that having a plant in your home can reduce stress,” notes licensed social worker and therapist Michael Samar. He points out a 2009 study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that found that patients recovering from surgery had lower blood pressure and reduced anxiety levels when put in rooms with plants.

When you’re stressing out about all the work that’s piled up over the holidays, it’s easy to forget about all the great things in your life. That’s why Manly says that you should make a conscious effort to “count your blessings in the morning to start off the day in a positive way.” Practicing gratitude before bed can similarly help you “stay strong and positive as the holidays come to a close.”

When the back-to-work blues have you feeling upset and unproductive, the first thing you should do is write down all of the things that need to get done. Within this list, “organize work that needs to be done for each [task] and give yourself some due dates for accountability,” suggests Connecticut-based therapist Kari Ann Greaves, founder of Reflections Counseling and Consulting Services. Seeing everything written down will help you get organized and motivated almost immediately.

Just because holiday break is over doesn’t mean you have to stop indulging in the things that make you smile. On the contrary, Greaves says that after you’re settled back in at work, you should make time for the things you love.

“Once you are feeling organized, take some time to think about what you can do to take care of yourself. Whether it’s getting back into a workout routine or re-engaging in reading, this is a time to do some things that you enjoy while taking care of yourself,” she explains.

And don’t beat yourself up if you can’t immediately get back into a routine. Greaves notes that “it can take time to get back into the swing of things” after the lazy holiday season—and that’s totally normal!

“As you return to work, strive to focus on the positive of having yet another year of growth and employment rather than [focus on] the negative thought of, ‘I have to return to work,'” says Manly. She points to research that suggests that maintaining a positive attitude is the key to actually being positive and getting stuff done.

Pushing yourself to work for 10 hours straight right after a holiday break is a recipe for disaster. Manly says that you should “strive to take a few time-outs as your return to work. Rather than diving in with an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach, allow a bit of the holiday season to remain by taking an extra 10-minute break or two for a walk, a cup of tea, or a call to a loved one.”

Don’t suffer in silence. If you’re struggling to get back into a groove after the holidays, reach out to friends and family members who can help you through this tough time. “These are the people that provide us with a sense of social connectedness and belonging,” explains Samar. “They add a healthy outlet if we need someone to talk to.”

“Each day, find a ‘funny’ in your environment,” suggests clinical psychologist Steven M. Sultanoff, PhD. “By looking for humor in everyday life, you build resilience and are better equipped to manage ‘bad day’ events. One of my bosses placed a sign on her door that read, ‘I may be disturbed, but I am friendly.'”

When you’re back at work after the holidays and feeling down, “focus on what you can control,” suggests licensed therapist Linda Stiles. “When we focus on things that we can control—our own actions—we can usually lower our stress and feel more empowered.”

When you think about things on a micro-level, the dread of going back to work after the holidays drowns out pretty much anything positive in your life. That’s why Sultanoff recommends thinking about returning to work “in a large life perspective.”

“Whatever ‘it’ is, tell yourself, ‘I will get through this. I have always adjusted to every life challenge.’ Perspective reduces stress,” he explains.

There’s no use beating yourself up when you’re already feeling down. In fact, this will only make things worse. So, when you don’t want to work and can’t seem to get motivated, Stiles notes that you should “try to give yourself compassion and encouragement.” Push those negative thoughts aside and beat the post-holiday blues with positive self-talk.

The thing about post-holiday blues is that they’re completely normal. And if you want to start feeling human again once Christmas has come and gone, you need to remind yourself that pretty much everyone is in the same boat you are.

“Accept that it is normal to feel stress about returning to work,” says Stiles. “Acknowledge your feelings and remember that others feel this way, too.” The sooner you normalize your feelings, the sooner you’ll go back to feeling more motivated and less moody!