The reality is we all get there sometimes. Where we’re tempted to just throw in the towel and go rot in bed. And some of us, ::cough:: ::cough:: maybe me, have been there more than we want to admit. The last year and a half has been really hard, okay?
It’s a tricky thing because I am a big advocate of intentional rest. But the truth is, intentional rest and rotting are simply not the same thing. What does rotting mean for me? That’s a great question. I’d love to tell you.
Rotting: when life gets too much and you lean into the space of doing nothing but not intentionally. You find yourself stuck in your pajamas, usually unbathed doomscrolling until your brain, well, rots.
Intentional rest feels good. Rotting does not. Intentional rest is rejuvenating and revitalizing. Rotting is…the opposite.
If you’re teetering on the edge of temptation, but you really don’t want to fall victim to the rot, here’s what you can do.
How to unfunk yourself
- Recognize the feeling and acknowledge it. Realize you have a decision to make in this moment. Choosing to do nothing (i.e. rot) is still a decision.
- Decide to do one personal hygiene thing. Remember, a body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest. This one thing can be something as small as brushing your teeth or something as big as taking an everything shower. On the day of filming the video below, the one thing for me was washing my face. Remember, it just takes one. Small. Thing.
- Change your clothes or put on shoes. If you’re already fully dressed, shoes and all, change your outfit entirely. I realize this sounds crazy but it makes an enormous difference.
- Tidy the space you plan to occupy. Your house might be a total disaster, and it’s too overwhelming to think about cleaning all of it. Pick a place to be and tidy that space. You’ll be surprised how motivated you’ll feel, and you might even keep going.
- Do something simple – for me, on the day of filming the video below, it was marinating the meat for dinner. Sometimes it’s just changing locations – I’ll pack the kid up and head to a friend’s house to work for the rest of the day. We may go to the store even if we don’t need to buy anything. The point is to shift up the energy, to keep “in motion” so to speak. This does not need to mean being physically in motion. It’s about keeping momentum going.
- Make a list of what you need to do but add things you want to do into the list. Bonus points if you go an extra step and schedule those things into your calendar, including the things you want to do. Not only does it help to alleviate the overwhelm, by scheduling the things you want to do, it gives you something to look forward to.
- Pat yourself on the back for choosing not to rot.
I realize these things are not revolutionary. And the reality is, they’re not difficult either. But when you’re teetering on the edge, even the simplest things can feel like too much.
It’s not uncommon for me, when I’m on the edge, to only get through one or two steps. And even those things may happen at a snails pace. But the point here is to do your best.
It’s important to note that my desire to rot the last year or so has been intimately tied to my fragile mental health state. While it’s all fun and games to make light of rotting, it’s also a pretty significant sign that something else might be going on — especially if you find yourself falling into the rot frequently. I worked closely with my primary care physician to work out a treatment plan, and I’m doing much better these days. I feel it’s also important to put on the record that I’m re-starting therapy this week.
Wins, friends. Small but mighty wins.
Until next time. XOXO
0 Comments