Talk about being a hypocrite...
In the vlog I did where I went to Men's StyleCon 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr_2aOIJOTI - I said right before I left the hotel that I was "so motivated that I'm ready to give it more than just a month - people say that you're going to be motivated for only a month after this event - I think this is going to extend to 12 months easily, to next StyleCon" in 2018 (which is now known as MenFluential Conference).
By "it" I meant work hard and do the daily grind. But since I haven't really done jack, I'll quietly eat those words now.
Here I am, only 11 days after the end of StyleCon and I'm finally willing to admit that I haven't been as on the ball as I previously said I would have been. I definitely know the reason why as well: BURNOUT.
I had been running myself ragged ever since my last semester of undergrad started in January trying to keep up with school mixed with my business endeavours, content creating, trying to find a part time job and overthinking just about every single second of living as I attempt to not only survive but LIVE.
However, this morning I was faced with a decision when I woke up. Go to my 8 AM class for Construction Management Finance or sleep in. I have classes at 8 AM consecutively from Tuesday - Thursday but Wednesday (today) morning is always particularly difficult to rise out of bed for me because I organize a coed soccer team with my friends that plays on Tuesday nights. Last night, the game started at 11 PM and ended at midnight - taking it longer than usual for me to fall asleep when I got home. My alarm was set for 6 AM but I kept hitting snooze until I found myself making a judgment call at 7 AM: either get my ass out of bed NOW or skip class entirely...
Which do you think I chose? 😉
Fast forward to 11 AM when I finally managed to drag my ass out of bed: I'm entirely (naturally) awake for the first time in 10 days and also inspired to go about my day! My planning rituals had gone by the waste side since I got back from StyleCon and so began the resurrection of my normal habits. Was I late to the party? Absolutely, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let that dampen my spirit. After all, better late than never.
So I made it my mission to turn this day into a turning point and documented the list of things I did today to put things back into perspective. I will share them with you now in blog format.
Here are the 5 steps I took today to pull myself up and get out of a funk:
1. Get enough sleep and take a personal day too (if that's what it takes). 8 hours are minimum here - be sure to wake up naturally (without an alarm) as well.
2. Pull yourself up, literally. I did a set of 8 pull-ups on my Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar
. It's important that you do something physically uplifting. If pull-ups aren't your thing, not to worry: a simple set of 10 push-ups will suffice! The point of this is NOT to build muscle or work out. It's just to add some physical symbolism for encouragement (but the micro workout also helps).
. It's important that you do something physically uplifting. If pull-ups aren't your thing, not to worry: a simple set of 10 push-ups will suffice! The point of this is NOT to build muscle or work out. It's just to add some physical symbolism for encouragement (but the micro workout also helps).
3. Make sure you leave the house, go outside, and connect with nature. Better yet, actually go somewhere where you can take action into turning things around. In my case, I left my house, took the subway to school, and then began writing this post. Fresh cold air really helps clarify my thought process.
4. Reflect on a good memory that can be recreated. For example, while I was on the subway I reflected on my killer soccer season I had in the summer, dreamed about the day I can go play soccer outside this summer and start to recreate those positive memories! This is important because it helps you remember what kind of awesome things you're capable of achieving.
5. Connect with a friend and talk about your struggles. Let him/her know how you're ACTUALLY feeling and what you're doing to take action to turn the corner. In the evening, I met with my friend Adrian over at https://modernskepticism.blogspot.ca and we had a nice chat that helped put things back into perspective after these past 10 days.
It's that simple guys! Follow my 5 actionable step guide to help pull you up and get you out of a funk. Then, hopefully you'll overcome the difficulties that you were having and with any additional luck, you'll not only turn the corner but cause that much needed figurative explosion behind you. 💣💣💣
But above all else, remember to stay casual!
- Michele
