Feeling “flat”.

Personal development proponents are annoying. They can be brash, overbearing and aggressive. This always seems at it’s most annoying when we are approaching their ideas because we are often in a needy or sensitive state. It is therefore really important for me to write when I am feeling down, upset, or, as now, flat. This is a blog about self improvement – not written from a state of perfection. I’m feeling *bleugh*– I’m feeling fed up but I am trying to find out why and I’m trying to fix it. That is in the spirit of what I’m trying to do here – improve on myself and hopefully provide something of interest to others and hopefully get to know other people who are also getting into a groove of positive change.

Over the years I’ve found one thing which seem to help me get through periods like this and lift my mood. No! it doesn’t involve copious amounts of legal or illegal substances ;) – it’s all about shifting focus. Usually when I am feeling down I can isolate the part of my life which is causing it. Let us say, for example, that it’s my day job. I’ve had a week or two of projects going south, missed deadlines and high degrees of stress. I can see that this is what is causing my “funk”. What works for me is picking another area – health and fitness, my music making, my writing, family, social life – whatever – and boosting my activity in that part of my life. Starting something new or finishing an ongoing project in that area shifts my focus and also gives me a feeling of accomplishment which is lacking in the offending area. Usually I try to balance these areas equally, but in special cases it really helps to add some weight to an area that you can enjoy and move away from the one causing problems.