How to Get Out of a Funk When You Feel Stuck

January 13, 2026

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You know that feeling when you’re not exactly depressed, but you’re not exactly thriving either? You’re just kind of… existing. Going through the motions. Watching the days blur together while you scroll your phone and wonder why you can’t seem to get it together like everyone else apparently has.

Welcome to the funk. Population: basically everyone at some point.

The funk is sneaky. It doesn’t announce itself like a full-blown crisis would. It just quietly moves in, makes itself comfortable, and before you know it you’ve been wearing the same sweatpants for four days and can’t remember the last time you felt genuinely excited about anything.

The good news? Funks are temporary. They feel permanent when you’re in them, but they’re not. And there are actual things you can do to climb out faster instead of just waiting for it to pass on its own (which, let’s be honest, could take a while).

This isn’t going to be a list of generic advice like “try yoga” and “drink more water.” You’ve heard all that. This is the real stuff that actually works when you feel like a deflated balloon version of yourself.

First, Figure Out What Kind of Funk You’re In

Not all funks are created equal. Knowing what type you’re dealing with helps you figure out what will actually help.

The Burnout Funk. You’ve been running on empty for too long and your body and brain have officially quit. You’re exhausted but wired. Tired but can’t sleep well. Everything feels like too much effort, including things that used to be easy. This funk needs rest, not more productivity hacks. I use a weighted blanket when my nervous system is completely fried and it genuinely helps me feel less like I’m vibrating out of my skin.

The Boredom Funk. Nothing is actually wrong. You’re just… bored. Understimulated. Stuck in a routine that’s become mind-numbing. Every day feels the same and you can’t remember the last time you did something new or exciting. This funk needs novelty and maybe a little chaos.

The Comparison Funk. You made the mistake of looking at other people’s lives and now yours feels pathetic by comparison. Everyone else is getting married, getting promoted, traveling, glowing up, living their best life. And you’re just here, eating cereal for dinner and wondering where you went wrong. This funk needs a serious social media detox and a reality check.

The Directionless Funk. You don’t know what you want. Or you used to know and now you don’t anymore. You feel like you’re drifting without a purpose, and that vague sense of “is this it?” follows you around constantly. This funk needs some soul searching and maybe a journal.

The Seasonal Funk. It’s dark. It’s cold. You haven’t seen the sun in what feels like months. Your body wants to hibernate but society expects you to function like a normal human. This funk needs light, vitamin D, and permission to slow down. I grabbed a light therapy lamp for pretty cheap on Amazon and honestly it’s made a noticeable difference on those gray mornings when real sunlight isn’t happening.

Most funks are a combination of a few of these. That’s fine. Just getting honest about what’s actually going on is the first step toward fixing it.

The Stuff That Actually Helps (Not Just Sounds Nice)

Okay, here’s where we get practical. These are the things that have pulled me out of every funk I’ve ever been in. Some of them are obvious. Some of them sound almost too simple. But they work, which is the whole point.

Move Your Body (Even Though You Really Don’t Want To)

I know. I KNOW. You’ve heard this a million times. But here’s the thing: it actually works, and the science behind it is annoyingly solid. Exercise releases endorphins, reduces cortisol, improves sleep, and boosts energy. Your brain literally functions better when you move.

The trick is lowering the bar dramatically. You don’t need to run five miles or crush a HIIT workout. That’s way too ambitious when you’re in a funk. You need to move for ten minutes. That’s it. A walk around the block. Some stretching on your living room floor. Dancing badly to one song in your kitchen. I keep a yoga mat permanently rolled out in my living room so there’s zero barrier to just dropping down and stretching when I need to shake something off.

The goal isn’t fitness. The goal is shifting your physical state, which shifts your mental state. Motion creates emotion. Get your body moving and your brain often follows.

If you can get outside while you’re at it, even better. Sunlight and fresh air are basically free antidepressants. Even ten minutes outside can measurably improve your mood.

Do One Small Thing You’ve Been Avoiding

There’s probably something hanging over your head right now. An email you need to send. A phone call you’ve been putting off. A pile of dishes. A bill. An appointment you need to schedule. Something small that takes less than ten minutes but has been living rent-free in your brain for days or weeks.

Do that thing.

Not everything on your list. Just one thing. The smallest, easiest thing you’ve been avoiding.

The relief you feel when it’s done is disproportionate to the actual effort involved. And that small win creates momentum. Suddenly you feel a tiny bit more capable. A tiny bit more in control. And sometimes that’s all you need to start climbing out.

Funks feed on avoidance. Every task you put off adds to the mental weight dragging you down. Knocking out even one thing lightens the load more than you’d expect.

Get Ready Like You’re Going Somewhere

When you’re in a funk, getting dressed feels pointless. Who’s going to see you? Why bother? So you stay in the sweatpants. Maybe you skip the shower. Definitely skip the makeup or any attempt at looking presentable.

Here’s the problem: how you present yourself affects how you feel about yourself. It’s not vanity. It’s psychology. When you look like someone who’s given up, you feel like someone who’s given up. And the funk digs in deeper.

Try getting ready like you’re leaving the house, even if you’re not. Shower. Put on real clothes. Do your hair. Whatever your “put together” looks like. You don’t have to go full glam. Just put in enough effort that you’d be okay running into someone you know.

It sounds superficial but it works. You’re sending a signal to your brain that you’re a functioning person who participates in life. Sometimes you have to fake it before you feel it.

Change Your Environment

If you’ve been sitting in the same spot, staring at the same walls, surrounded by the same clutter, your brain is literally bored of the input it’s receiving. New environments spark new neural pathways. Even small changes help.

Work from a coffee shop instead of your home office. Take your laptop to a different room. Rearrange your furniture. Clean off your desk. Open the blinds and let in natural light. Put on music instead of sitting in silence. Light a candle. I’m kind of obsessed with Chesapeake Bay candles because they’re affordable and actually smell good without being overwhelming. Small sensory changes add up.

If you can get out of your house entirely, do that. Go somewhere you don’t usually go. A new neighborhood. A park you’ve never been to. A bookstore or library. Novel environments pull you out of the rumination loop that funks thrive on.

I added a sunrise alarm clock to my nightstand and it’s made my mornings feel completely different. Waking up to gradual light instead of a jarring alarm actually helps, especially in winter when it’s dark forever.

Talk to Someone (An Actual Human)

Funks want you isolated. They want you alone with your thoughts, convincing yourself that everyone else is fine and you’re the only one struggling. That’s a lie, but it’s a convincing one when you’re in it.

Call someone. Not text. Call. Or better yet, meet up in person. Human connection is one of the fastest ways to shift your state. We’re social creatures. Isolation makes everything worse.

You don’t have to talk about the funk if you don’t want to. Sometimes just being around another person, laughing about something dumb, feeling seen and heard for an hour, is enough to crack the funk’s grip.

If you don’t have someone to call, go somewhere with people. A coffee shop. A class. The gym. Even being around strangers can help you feel less alone and more connected to the world.

Stop Consuming, Start Creating

When you’re in a funk, you probably default to consumption mode. Scrolling endlessly. Watching shows without really watching. Reading headlines without retaining anything. Just passively taking in content because you don’t have the energy for anything else.

The problem is that passive consumption actually makes funks worse. It numbs you without energizing you. You end up feeling more drained, not less.

Try creating something instead. Anything. Write in a journal. Cook a meal from scratch. Draw something terrible. Play an instrument badly. Arrange some flowers. Build something with your hands. The quality doesn’t matter at all. The act of creating is what shifts you from passive to active, from numb to engaged.

Even just writing down your thoughts in a journal counts. Getting the swirling mess in your head onto paper makes it feel more manageable. And sometimes you figure out what’s actually bothering you in the process.

Do Something Nice for Someone Else

This one seems counterintuitive. You’re the one struggling. Why should you be helping other people?

Because helping others is one of the fastest ways to get out of your own head. When you’re doing something kind for someone else, you can’t be spiraling about your own problems at the same time. It shifts your focus outward. And the good feeling you get from helping is a genuine mood boost, not a manufactured one.

It doesn’t have to be big. Send a thoughtful text to a friend. Pay for someone’s coffee. Leave a generous tip. Compliment a stranger. Help a coworker with something. Small acts of kindness add up and they benefit you as much as the person receiving them.

Break Your Routine Dramatically

Boredom funks especially respond to this. When every day is the same, your brain stops paying attention. Life feels gray and flat because nothing is stimulating enough to register as interesting.

Shake things up. Take a different route to work. Try a restaurant you’ve never been to. Sign up for a class in something completely random. Say yes to something you’d normally say no to. Do something that scares you a little.

Novelty is like caffeine for your brain. It forces you to pay attention, which pulls you out of the autopilot mode that funks love. You don’t need to change your whole life. Just interrupt the pattern enough that your brain wakes up.

Set One Tiny Goal and Accomplish It

Funks make everything feel pointless. Why bother doing anything when nothing matters anyway? This mindset is a trap, and the way out is proving to yourself that you can still accomplish things.

Set the smallest possible goal you can think of. Not “get my life together.” Something like “make my bed” or “go for a five minute walk” or “drink a glass of water.” Something so tiny it’s almost embarrassing.

Then do it. Celebrate that you did it. Seriously. Your brain needs wins right now, and small wins count. I write mine down in a simple planner so I can actually see the progress adding up. Something about physically checking things off hits different than a phone app.

Tomorrow, set another tiny goal. And another. String enough small wins together and you start to rebuild momentum. You start to remember that you’re someone who does things, not just someone things happen to.

What to Stop Doing Immediately

Getting out of a funk isn’t just about what you do. It’s also about what you stop doing.

Stop Scrolling First Thing in the Morning

Checking your phone the second you wake up is a guaranteed way to start your day reactive and anxious. You’re immediately flooded with other people’s news, opinions, and problems before you’ve even had a chance to check in with yourself.

Try waiting at least 30 minutes after waking up before you look at your phone. An hour is even better. Do literally anything else first. Stretch. Drink water. Sit quietly. The world can wait. Your mental state can’t.

Stop Comparing Your Behind-the-Scenes to Everyone’s Highlight Reel

You already know this intellectually, but funks make you forget it emotionally. Social media is not real life. The people posting their wins are not posting their struggles. Everyone is curating their best moments, not their mediocre Tuesday afternoons.

If social media is making your funk worse, take a break. Not forever. Just until you’re in a better headspace. Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel bad about yourself. You can always follow them again later when you’re not so vulnerable to the comparison trap.

Stop Waiting Until You Feel Like It

This is maybe the most important one. When you’re in a funk, you never feel like doing anything. If you wait until you feel motivated, you’ll wait forever.

Action creates motivation, not the other way around. You have to do the thing first, and then you’ll start to feel like doing the thing. It’s backwards from what feels natural, but it’s how brains actually work.

Stop asking yourself “do I feel like it?” The answer will always be no. Ask instead “can I do this for just five minutes?” and then start before your brain has time to argue.

Stop Beating Yourself Up for Being in a Funk

Adding guilt and shame to a funk just makes it worse. You’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re not the only one. Funks happen to everyone. They’re a normal part of being human, especially when life is stressful or seasons are changing or you’ve been pushing too hard for too long.

Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend going through the same thing. You wouldn’t berate them for struggling. Don’t berate yourself either.

When It’s More Than Just a Funk

Sometimes what feels like a funk is actually something that needs more support. If you’ve been feeling stuck for weeks or months, if you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, if you’ve lost interest in everything and can’t find pleasure in anything, if your funk is severely impacting your work or relationships or daily functioning, please talk to a professional.

There’s no shame in getting help. Therapy, medication, or both can make a huge difference for depression and anxiety. A funk you can usually pull yourself out of with effort. Clinical depression often needs more than willpower and good habits.

If you’re not sure which one you’re dealing with, err on the side of talking to someone. A good therapist can help you figure it out and give you tools either way.

The Funk Won’t Last Forever

I know it feels permanent right now. That’s what funks do. They make you forget that you’ve ever felt any other way and convince you that you’ll feel this way forever.

But you won’t. You’ve gotten through funks before, even if you can’t remember how. And you’ll get through this one too.

Start small. Do one thing from this list today. Just one. Don’t try to fix everything at once. Don’t expect to feel better immediately. Progress isn’t linear and some days will still be hard.

But if you keep showing up, keep moving, keep doing the small things that help, the funk will lift. Not all at once. But gradually. And one day you’ll realize you feel like yourself again, and you won’t even remember exactly when the shift happened.

You’re not stuck forever. You’re just stuck right now. And right now is temporary. Keep going.