Remember back to my post Monday morning? Those lamentations of not feeling like myself? Well, here we are on Thursday afternoon and things have not really changed. I have been in funky town all this week. And not the groovy “won’t you take me to Funky Tooown!” funky town of my disco-dancing mother either. The I’m-in-a-funk-please-get-me-out funky town. Frankly, I have had enough!

I needed a little bitch slap out of my Negative Nancy attitude and I knew this post topic would do just the trick. A reality check to help snap me out of the funk and back to the real Tina. If I want to feel like myself again, I need to look at what that means and do something about it. Time to put up or shut up, folks!

In order to get back to feeling like myself, I need to know what the even means. What makes me my “best self”? Well, here goes nothing!

I Have Faith: Well ain’t this little exercise already an eye opener. Guess who has slacked on the prayer time this week? *raises hand* Note to self: Whine a little less. Pray a little more. I even picked up a new Bible study book today at the library to help out!

I Treat My Body With Respect: Typically this means working out regularly and being careful about the foods I choose to eat. Well, with a killer headache this entire week I have managed one workout and threw up following it. My appetite has ranged from wanting no food to craving hefty chicken salad sandwiches. Very different from the norm and it made me feel unlike myself. But now, after thinking about it, I’m still like myself because I’m giving my body the rest it asks for and honoring my cravings. I’m still choosing to respect my body, albeit it in a different manner. That’s still being myself. Huh. What do you know?

I Enjoy Loving Others: With not physically feeling my best, I haven’t had as much energy as I like for playing with Makenzie & Braedon, talking to friends & family, or reading blogs and supporting you all. Who am I?!?! I think this is the biggest way I feel out of sorts. So, my sister is coming over for dinner tonight. Peter and I had an impromptu picnic lunch date with the kids today. I got to chat with a good friend. I’m feeling reconnected already! And it really does help me feel more like me.

I Have Passion and Work Hard At It: I must admit I feel pretty good about the commitment I have given to my blog writing recently and studying for personal training. But it’s also okay to take a little mental break. This exercise helped me realize I have been feeling a little guilty this week for not studying as much. I will let that go riiiigggghhhhtttt….NOW! Gone! 🙂

Acting Humble & Grateful: It’s funny how when I don’t focus so much on “me, me, me” and what I do and what I have, things feel more right with the world. The whole negative mindset of “poor pitiful me” leaves me sinking further and further into a black hole because appreciating life is something I feel so strongly about. Um. Wow. Feeling down and out only makes me feel less and less like myself so I feel even more down and out. What a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy!

photo here only because I stumbled across it somewhere and busted out laughing

Sooooo….this whole “my best self” idea has given me more of a reality check than I bargained for. Good thing I suppose. I feel a tina bit more like myself already. Ha! Sign I’m feeling better = lame-o puns. Anyone else in need of a good slap back to reality? Apparently I do a pretty decent job.

• What is something that makes you your best self?
• How do you snap yourself out of a funk?

I love a good workout for a burst of energy! I felt a little tired this morning but, after I got moving on my workout for the day, I instantly felt better. I repeated the same full body weights circuit from last week because I didn’t feel like coming up with something different and then tackled a fun session of intervals on the elliptical.

Repeat the 10 minute cycle until you reach your desired time. I did 30 minutes worth and accomplished a pool of sweat by the end. The perfect remedy for my tiredness. Which I really need to get under control. And believe me, I’ve tried! I just can’t fall asleep at a reasonable hour because I keep breaking one of the “rules” we received when going through our required pre-marital counseling - leave the bed only for sleep and “canoodling” to keep it a place of peace. Find somewhere else to talk it out. I guess I can see the point, but I have never been one to follow it!

We head up to bed at a reasonable time, but I then become super chatty. I guess I want to dump out all the thoughts rumbling around in my head? And I feel like we don’t have as much time as normal to talk talk talk when he gets home from work. Instead of having 2+ hours to talk his ear off after we get the kids in bed, we only have maybe one with limited other distractions right now.

The last month has picked up a few things for both of us to work on at night. He has a side project for work in something he finds interesting and a fun challenge. I have to fit in time to study for personal training to follow after that dream. We have to make time as a family with the kids, so those tasks inevitably fall to after their bedtimes. I guess I try to make up that extra hour of chat time when we crawl into bed. We’re figuring it out to make sure the ebb and flow of life loading more on our plate right now doesn’t become the standard. Having time for each other is most important to us.

And having enough sleep. Although I’m still not so sure on that “no talking in bed” tip. 😉

• What are some of the weirdest pieces of advice you have received?
• Do you have trouble shutting your mind off at night?