Funky Lockdown

Tiffany Eckhardt, Life Coach Creating YOUR vision for midlife wellness.  Helping you get out of a lockdown funk.

Funky Lockdown ~ Getting out of a funk!

Have you found yourself in a lockdown funk?  In your attempt to NOT shut down during lockdown you managed media input and discovered new things about yourself, but your limits have been severely tested.  So, you spend a day in a funk allowing the feelings to well up.

Is this your story?  It was mine last Friday.   

I had a low energy day after receiving news that our trip to Ohio would be postponed again because the stay at home order for Ohio was extended through the end of May.  I won’t tell you what I thought about that.  Feelings of deep sadness turned to anger as the day progressed.  I was in a funk.  

It is healthy to fully experience all the feels and then release them.  It is detrimental to stuff emotions.  I love Dr. Christiane Norhrup’s take on feelings…

“The crying will stop when it needs to stop.  I have the strength to tolerate my strong emotions.”  Dr. Northrup

Do you believe in coincidences?  

In the book, Goddesses Never Age, Dr. Christiane Northrup, M.D. speaks to my soul!  It is no coincidence that this week my friend Dawn and I happen to be reading Chapter 2: Goddesses Know The Power Of Pleasure.  

By Friday evening I knew that I needed to get out of the funk!  It simply is not good for my sense of well being.  Luckily, I had tools!  I self coached myself and then worked on finding some much needed pleasure.  

Here are three simple steps you can take to get out of a lockdown funk.

Make a list

I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” ~Kurt Vonnegut

Are you aware of what brings you pleasure?

Dr. Northrup’s prescription for general health is to experience more pleasure every day.  She suggests an activity that I practice daily.  Take a minute every day to list as many joyful activities and experiences that you can.  Think big and small experiences.  

This list can be helpful in getting out of a funk, and could guide you in finding what your soul longs for.  As I became more aware of what gives me pleasure (and what does not), I was surprised by what I discovered.  

Phone a friend

Dr. Northrup calls these friends Wingwomen.  I love that!  

Good friends will point you to a healthy mindset, while allowing you to feel your emotions.  

On Friday I enlisted the help from a life coach from my certification class and my book club friend.  I also had several dear friends reach out to me for encouragement.  It felt like a lifeline. 

Who are your Wingwomen?    

Take action

Saturday morning I woke up with the thought, “this is a new day.”  I knew I had a choice to make it a good day or wallow in my grief.  Fortunately, Jeff was on board with a day of fun!  

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, nearly perfect with a cool breeze.  Jeff and I rode our bikes to Round Top (thirty miles round trip).  While in Round Top, we had coffee at Royers Pie Haven and ate hamburgers at Popi Burgers. During lunch we FaceTimed with our daughter and grandson (fill my cup).  We then went to Brenham to see what shops had opened.  I bought a new dress at The Canyon Chic and then visited a newly opened Brazos Valley Brewing Co that happened to have live music (heaven).  We took crawfish home for a backyard picnic.  I washed our 48 Ford Maggie and took her for a drive in the country.  After dinner I could barely keep my eyes open.  I fell into bed extremely happy.   

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” ~Martin Luther

Discover what fills your pleasure journal

I’m not thankful for the funk, but it did teach me the importance of the pleasure journal.  Taking a day to experience as much pleasure as possible got me out of a funk.  

When you discover what fills your pleasure journal, taking action is very simple.

If you feel stuck in a funk, I can help!  I’ve been trained to identify thoughts that are creating unwanted feelings.  Curious?  I offer a free mini session.  I’d love to chat with you!  

Click the link below to schedule your FREE MINI SESSION!

Tiffany Eckhardt, Certified Life Coach

~Tiffany 

And the birds fluttered around her writing “Yes” in the sky!

Will you shut down during lockdown?

ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A DREAMER! This was taken before my hair went grey 🙂

Last week I notice a shift from a feisty “get’er done” attitude about the COVID-19 lockdown, to a lethargic F’It attitude.  

We are so close to the end, let’s finish strong!  

With a little effort, it is possible to live well during quarantine.  We were born to create and are naturally innovative, not vegetative.  

Be YOUR hero of YOUR health!

Self-aware is the first step to self-care

First, I would like to offer a huge dose of grace.  Don’t shut down your emotions.  A good cry is therapeutic.  Feelings are an indication of your thoughts, which are totally in your control once you understand how to manage your mind.  

Full disclosure, life coaches are not immune to drama.  I had a complete melt down when I had to cancel my 50th backyard birthday bash.  I have a good cry every time I think that I could have seen my new grandson, who would have been at my party.  Thankfully, my life coach helped me reframe my thoughts to remember that I can still be connected to them even if it’s not in person.  

A good laugh is medicine too.  That one takes a little effort, but so worth it.  I found Leslie Jordan on Instagram www.instagram.com/thelesliejordan (You’re welcome)

Our mental health is under siege.  

I totally understand getting lost in the last season of Shits Creek or scrolling through social media to get your mind off the lock down.  Just don’t completely shut down your gorgeous mind, shut off the tv and social media!  

This is actually an awesome opportunity to learn something new, create something amazing, or discover something about yourself.  Y’all can’t say you don’t have time!  You simply need to manage your mind!

Innovate.  Create.  Be amazing! 

Your future self will thank you!  

Don’t shut down your imagination!  

Look into your future.  How do you see yourself in a year?

In retrospect, how does your future self feel about lock down?  Will she be glad you watched the Tiger drama, or proud of the victory garden you planted?  Is she ready for her first 5k run, or worried about loosing the Corona 15 she gained (weight gained during the lock down)?  

I don’t know what is important to you, but you won’t achieve it by shutting down your imagination.  

You don’t have to spend all your time productive to be proactive.  Just pick one goal you would like to accomplish in April.  Is your future self worth it?  

Human needs

It is safe to say that COVID-19 has sabotaged our six basic human needs, unless you hold uncertainty as a priority.  The six basic human needs are certainty, uncertainty, love/connection, significance, growth and contribution.  Meeting the need for love and connection, certainty or significance may seem hard during lockdown, but growth and contribution are totally within your control.  

Seriously, don’t let the lockdown shut down your basic human need for growth and contribution!  Finish the lockdown strong!  

Get coaching!

Does the idea of managing your mind resonate with you, but not exactly sure how to apply it to your life?  Click the box below to schedule a FREE Mini Session!  A FREE Mini Session is a 45 minute zoom call where I can help you wrap your mind around where you are emotionally and where you’d like to be a year from now.  So you can be the hero of your health.

As always, I am rooting for you!  Self-aware is the first step to self-care.

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!