Finally Defunked
“The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. When you’re unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. You get to take yourself oh so very seriously.” — Tom Robbins
It’s good to be back to myself. A little beer, good conversation, nice weather, encouraging comments from readers, old home movies, some ideas on how to get re-focused, and a fun and naughty contest snapped me out of my funk.
Hubby, my sister and I dug out some old home movies Friday night and they were hilarious! My eight and ten year old sons were freakin’ adorable when they were one and three years old! We were cracking up and shedding a few tears all night. It was great. It reminded me of what’s really important. I have a beautiful family, great kids, great hubby, great sister, great friends. My family is healthy and we are all together.
The fun contest reminded me not to take life too seriously. It’s short and should be enjoyable and fun (and yes, sometimes even naughty) whenever possible.
I also decided that my completely unstructured days are a significant contributor to my bad mood. So, I created a flexible schedule for next week. It includes time for the things I need to get done and the things I want to get done. First and foremost, I haven’t worked out in months. I know that working out makes me feel great so I’m starting each day at the gym.
So, I have officially snapped out of this funk. Thank you to everyone who left such helpful, insightful and cheerful comments on my blog and for indulging me for a few dark days.
Thanks for stopping by!
oh, i am glad to hear that you have had some good laughs and are feeling more positive! we are having a thaw here, and it feels GOOD.
i know your quote up there was a lead-in to your turnaround in mood, but i feel compelled to comment that i don’t totally agree with Mr. Tom Robbins — when i am depressed and someone tells me to snap out of it or cheer up or — gasp! — smile, it makes me feel as though my right to experience my feelings has been invalidated and dismissed, and sometimes it makes me retreat even further into isolation and the cycle perpetuates itself. imho… but, i also agree that focusing on the good and helping others you care for who are having a rough time does do wonders for the soul and the spirit.
have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!
i hear you! i especially dislike strangers walking by me and saying “smile!” which happens with more frequency than should ever be allowed… you have inspired me though to drag out some old photo albums and videos for my Sunday evening….
i plan to feel a little less “funked-out” myself
Ha! Too bad I didn’t find this 3 days ago:
Handling Stress Appropriately
I love all the human places we go. And thank goodness we can talk about it, write and rage about it … and after all that, have a good chuckle.
Secretly, I think you had great sex. But I don’t want to know for sure.
I love watching old movies of my daughter – you think your life doesn’t change from day to day and then when you look back on things you wore, how big your hair (and glasses!) were it definitely is a fun time.
There is one in particular where she is potty training and I made her do all the work because I didn’t want to touch it. So she’s peed in the potty, stands up, pants around her ankles and it takes her like 5 minutes to get the bowl out from under the potty to throw in the toilet.
I never helped her but videotaped the whole thing with her but sticking up in the air. Okay, guess you have to see it, but its pretty funny!
Way to go! Good weather definitely helps. And pulling out the baby videos–oh, we get a great laugh every time we do that!
Girl, I am right there with you… structure and routine are so needing in my life as well. Without it, I get too caught up in my own mind! I’m glad you’re feeling better. I haven’t been around in a few days, so I didn’t see your “funk” blogs till just now. God Bless Beer!!
Thank you! I don’t disagree with you at all. “Cheer up” is usually just annoying and completely unhelpful, and yes, dismissive of your feelings. This is especially true for us “people pleasers” because we don’t like to make anyone else uncomfortable and they are used to us making them feel better. So, when we are told to cheer up we instinctually want to comply, to make them less uncomfortable and then we lose ourselves again, and on and on with the cycle, just like you said.
Hearing “smile” from a stranger usually just makes me want to punch them in the face. How the hell do they know what’s going on with me?! Have fun with the old pics & videos!
OMG, you crack me up! And don’t worry…I’ll never tell.