Everyone at some point in his or her life falls into a ‘funk.’ Whether it’s because a relationship just ended, things aren’t well within your family, you’re broke, everything about life is stressing you out and you don’t know which way to turn next or maybe just because you’re not okay right now, without reason. But you weren’t born into this feeling ... you’ve seen brighter days, so now you just have to figure out how to get back to where you were.

1. Do something that you really love.

And it doesn’t matter what that ‘something’ is. Maybe it’s pushing yourself harder at the gym, going out to a local spot with good friends, watching your favorite show on Netflix, coloring while listening to your favorite playlist, heading down to the beach for the day, making a new recipe you found on Pinterest, cuddling up in your bed and getting lost in a new book or walking the trail at a local park just to feel the wind on your face to remind yourself that you are a person, and you are real, and that you matter. So whatever it is that makes you feel alive, do it.

2. Put yourself out there.

Whether it be going out to a bar and dancing like no one is watching, creating a ‘Tinder’ or 'Bumble' profile and talking to people just for the never ending flow of compliments (and who knows, maybe something could come out of it!),signing up for a new class at the gym that you’ve been nervous about trying out, or writing about something you feel passionate about and putting it out there for everyone to see. Putting yourself out there can be one of the best ways to get out of a funk, because you’re doing something you may have never done, with new things to see and think about, which can help you pull yourself out of your own head.

3. Take a day off!

If all you’re doing all the time is going, going, going .. eventually you’re going to burn out. Everyone deserves to take a few minutes to breathe. To do what they want to do when they want to do it. To have a break. I don’t care if you have to come up with some excuse, like food poisoning or a personal emergency .. if you’re feeling that run down, then you deserve to take some time for yourself. No matter what.

4. Figure out some way to make yourself smile.

Have a conversation with a 2 year old. Watch funny YouTube videos that get you every time (the “Annoying” video is my personal favorite). Go do karaoke with a friend and sing “It Wasn’t Me” or “Call Me Maybe” or “Man In The Mirror” or “Stacy’s Mom”, whatever your personal preference may be. Or if you’re too scared to go sing in front of a crowd, sing to yourself in front of a mirror (you may feel dumb at first but I’ll almost guarantee that you’re going to get WAY more into it than you expected, AKA your hairbrush will turn into your microphone). Like I said, you haven’t always felt like this. You have smiled before. There have been things that have made you laugh. So figure out what those things were.

5. Drink .. a lot.

Maybe not the best coping mechanism? But hey, wine is good.

6. Step out of your comfort zone.

“It’s okay to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.” “Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside of your comfort zone.” “If you want something you’ve never had, then you have to do something you’ve never done.” It’s all so cliché, but it’s also all so true. Remaining inside your comfort zone means you’re remaining in this negative place, and we cannot become who we want to be by remaining who we’ve always been. “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”

7. Talk to someone.

Sometimes the best way to work through these painful feelings is to talk them out. For some people, it’s journaling .. writing down everything they’re feeling so they can see it right in front of them and work it all out within their self. But when you talk to someone, they can either just listen, or they can help you see the other side of it all that is hidden when you’re feeling down.

8. Remind yourself that this isn’t forever.

It can’t rain forever. Things happen for a reason. And most importantly, this pain you feel .. this dark hole that you feel like you won’t ever be able to crawl out of .. this never-ending tunnel with no light .. it will help you grow. Great people aren’t great people because they’ve had it easy. Great people are great people because they know what it feels like for things to be not so great. Because they’ve seen bad days and have had to somehow get through them. Because they’ve been faced with hard times and have found the light in them. Bad things happen all the time. People feel shitty all the time, about so many different things, one can’t even begin to name it all. But to tell yourself, “Okay, this is just a bad day, not a bad life,” that’s what takes strength. And strength is what you need to carry yourself through. Strength is what you HAVE that WILL carry you through. Brighter days are always ahead. The sun will always come out tomorrow.