Knowing that you can bust your funk anytime, anywhere, anyhow is truly liberating!
Bust Your Funk Tools
I can assure you it’s not as easy as I make it sound here but it’s soooo worth it! It certainly wasn’t easy in the beginning but with practice it became second nature to me and it can for you too. I remember a time when it seemed impossible and quite frankly, it was the last thing I wanted to do particularly when I was in my funk! In the thick of my funk I mean! Over the years I have created and mastered a few high quality tools, listed here are a five of my favourite and most useful tools that have helped me over the years. As we transition through these challenging times, these tools will be a life-saver for you too.
Tool #1 – Asking the questions “what happened? and what did I make it mean?” The basis of all our experiences begin with “what happened?” I mean what actually happened?
It’s quite an interesting process when you dissect what happened into non-emotional parts. It creates a clarity in the moment that I am always surprised by and I have to say I am in awe of the process. What I separate “what happened” from “what did I make it mean” it drastically changes the outcome for me and creates the possibility of something great and a new outcome. What do I mean by this? Here is a story of an experience I have carried around most of my life and when I used the tools of asking the questions I discovered new perspective on the subject!
Two stories that held me back in the past are:
- No matter how much I want it or how hard I work for it I will never have enough to enjoy life as I want to enjoy it. Never enough money, love, attention, appreciation, on and on and on.
- 2. I will struggle for the rest of my life because I’m not good enough and I don’t deserve to have the things that I want in my life.
Imagine going through life with these messages constantly driving you life? I’m sure you can, these are two of the most common thoughts that stop many people from achieving their dreams & desires. They held me back most of my adult life and now they longer have a hold on me because I used these tools to uncover what I couldn’t see.
What happened?
When I was a little girl I was told, mostly by my brothers, that I was spoiled and selfish. They made a point of telling me that I didn’t deserve the things that I had and for many years I was reminded that I didn’t think if anyone else but myself. Typical sibling stuff really, but the effect this had on me growing up created a person who proved them to be right or so it appeared. What I discovered, later in my years, is that I didn’t deserve to have money and no matter how hard I worked for it I would always struggle to have enough to support me let alone provide for a lifestyle I wanted to life. I discovered, in all of this, is that it was impossible for me to be a person of service to others and selfish at the same time and because I see myself as being of service to others I am definitely not selfish. When I started looking at what I wanted money to buy I realized that my list of things were not things at all but a list of wishes for other people and I discovered that with more money I could do more things for others! What a discovery! I believe this was one of the biggest gifts I have found to date and certainly one of the most liberating.
Tool #2 – Walking and asking more questions
One of my favourite tools is going for long walks, alone and usually in the forest or on the beach.
Spending time alone with my thoughts without distraction other than nature itself. To start the process, depending on how stuck I felt, I use one or two techniques to put me in the right frame of mind to start. If I’m really stuck I will start with looking for and noticing the different shades of green I see in the forest or look for a certain colour of rock if I’m on the beach. This exercise is very successful at quieting my mind and it works every time! Maybe it was my upbringing as a child raised on the Sunshine Coast, I find both the forest and the beach therapeutic and effective in preparing me for the questions I’m looking for answers to. You can modify this technique to fit your surroundings no matter where you live in the world.
If I’m not particularly stuck and I’m ready to hear the answers to my questions on my walk I will use the second tool, which is using a vibrational hummmm which centers my body and mind preparing myself to hear internal answers. I literally take a deep breath and audibly make the sound “hmmmmm” while letting my breath out. I felt silly the first time I used this tool but quickly realized that it worked and I continue to use it to this day.
Tool #3 – Sharing my experience with others.
I can’t tell you how important this tool is and I encourage you to use it often.
I don’t have many people in my life that I trust to share my deepest thoughts with and I’m always amazed at how liberating it is to get my thoughts out of my head through talking. Experiences are different than thoughts and in my experience sharing experiences is both enlightening and therapeutic in nature. The people you share with will also be able to help you see things that you are unable to see. What do I mean by this? Consider that the way you experience life is controlled within your sub-conscious and the frustrating thing is you can’t see what is there. What’s worse is other people can see what you can’t and most of them are too scared to tell you what they see in fear of making you angry. Yikes! You know those experiences when you are the last to know and it appears everyone knew but you? The next time your friend provides you with insight, take it and think about it before you get mad at them for sharing. They are helping you dig for insights and you should thank them for their support. LOL, I can’t say as I have always followed my own advice here and when I did I received great gifts and the reward I felt for genuinely thanking them for sharing always felt empowering to me.
Tool #4 – Journaling my experience.
Keeping a journal is a must because it’s the only way to keep the facts straight over the years.
Like all great stories they have a tendency to grow and stretch each time you share them and depending on how many years you share you can imagine how your story might be a tad “different” than what really happened. Accuracy is important and I have many journals to preserve my stories. Each journal hold years of thoughts, experiences, hopes and dreams and now they are the resource for books in my future. I’ve heard people say “there is a book within each of us” and I believe it!
Tool #5 – Being with good and bad feelings equally
It’s so easy to see the bad in a bad situation and giving equal time of seeing the good in the same situation makes something magical happen in the process. Traditionally, when I felt sad/low or depressed, I would try to get through the process as fast as I could, so I could get to the other side and feel better. What if it made a difference for me if I allowed myself to just be with the situation? After trying this technique a few times I discovered that being with how I was in that moment was the fastest way through!
Final words – there are no shortcuts worth taking on your journey through life, live your life to it’s fullest to really appreciate your time in this world. I share these tools with you in hopes that you will find value in them as I have. I would love to hear from you and to hear about your experiences as you journey through your life. Feel free to drop me a note on my website at: www.ptbestsolutions.com 
Ciao for now, Lisa
P.S. I am always experimenting with new tools so while you are on my site looking at stuff, why not sign- up to be notified when I’m adding new ones!