Stuck in a RUT? A FUNK? A BAD MOOD? This happens to many of us, and especially more so during this crazy time.

I remember feeling this way in middle school, high school, and throughout college as well. Here’s what it feels like, and maybe you can relate:

Suddenly, you’re tired all of the time. All you want to eat is junk food. You don’t feel like going to your extra curricular activities. You roll out of bed to get to class on time, not caring a bit what you look like.

That last part is, well, fine actually. But there is something to be said for someone who gets up on time, takes a shower, and starts the day fresh. It makes for a fresh and clear mind.

Point being this: bad moods don’t stop happening once you “grow up” – getting in a FUNK is part of life, but here are some of my favorite ways to try and snap out of it!

1. TURN EVERYTHING OFF – literally. Turn off your phone, computer, and lights. Lie down on your bed or couch. Sometimes I do this for 10 minutes, sometimes an hour. It’s like a nap for your soul. Pray or meditate. Or just do nothing.

2. GET OUTSIDE – this is the best and quickest way to get out of a funk. Getting a breath of fresh air can do wonders for your mood.

3. GO ON A WALK – get the blood flowing, go on a walk and get lost in your thoughts. This is so therapeutic. Get a game plan for what you’re going to do once you get home from your walk. Maybe you’ll start dinner, do a mask on your face, paint your nails, or make that dreaded to-do list!

4. GET COFFEE WITH A FRIEND while SD– if you’re like me, then you’re inspired and motivated a lot by others. Any time I get together with a mom boss or other women who are also trying to make a name for themselves, I leave so inspired and ready to take on the world. Last week, I went and got yogurt at an empty yogurt shop and sat in the car across from my friend in her car to chat. It made us feel normal than you’d think right now!

5. MAKE A LIST – a lot of times, my “funk” can be caused by anxiety that is caused by an endless to-do list that I haven’t made yet. Make a freaking list. It helps.

6. EXERCISE – Figure out a way to exercise! Endorphins are EVERYTHING. I’ve been following my personal trainer Kit’s online workouts on YouTube – I’m getting her for such a steal this month!

7. CALL YOUR MOM – or your best friend, dad, a relative, anyone. Call for no reason. Just chat.

8. GET IN THE KITCHEN – I find cooking or baking really relaxing. It requires you to shut everything else out for a moment, because you have to focus on a recipe. Turn some music on, pour your favorite beverage, and cook the blues away! BONUS: it’s almost immediately rewarding, as you see your hard work as soon as you’re done.

I posted a What I Eat In A Day blog post last week, and since the quarantine was extended (what a joy) I’m recapping some recipes below I’ve posted on Life Unfiltered with Alexa since the beginning of my site!

For reference, I follow a predominently paleo diet which means no refined sugars or grains (no rice, quinoa, or carbs like flour) and instead use coconut and almond flours, tapioca flour, maple syrup and honey.

Paleo Chicken & Waffles 

Paleo “Karlie’s Kookie’s” based on Milk Bar & Karlie Kloss cookies

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

CINNAMON BUNZ

#LifeUnfiltered

Dana Marlowe founded I Support The Girls in 2015. After a spontaneous shopping trip to the bra store Soma, Dana asked an associate at the store where she could donate her extra bras to. That led to a call to a local homeless shelter that asked Dana if she had not only bras, but extra pads and necessities to donate to girls. Since 2015, 7 million + essentials have been donated to I Support The Girls and in return, to million of women across the world.

#LifeUnfiltered

Finding yourself home all day reallll close to that fridge of yours? Ya, same. I’ve been trying to intermittent fast (this is working for me!) which means I start eating at 12 PM or after. The longer I’ve tried this the less hungry I find myself when I wake up (but I haven’t been working out at 6 AM) so I’m not sure that will last when I go back to my daily routine. BUT, I do find myself eating more after dinner because I’m still hungry. I’m working on this method. Dessert is just…my life.

While trying to avoid grocery stores at busy times and other stores, I go in once a week and buy a few items. Half of the store is usually out of what I want, so this week I purchased:

1.5 pounds of salmon (my local grocery store was completely out of chicken)

Seafood seasoning (going to need to come up with a creative way to not get sick of salmon here)

1.5 lbs of spinach

1 onion, brussel sprouts, mini potatoes

Feta cheese & olives

Grain-free granola

Dark chocolate (Eating Evolved & Lily’s)

Organic chicken sausage

Turkey (deli meat)

Strawberries, pineapple

Cauliflower rice

NOW TO WHAT I’M EATING!

For breakfast: 

Starting around 10/11 AM: Coffee with almond milk creamer or ghee

If I’m super hungry when I wake up, which I haven’t been this week, I’ll eat Siggi’s yogurt with Purely Elizabeth grain-free granola (I had this last week)

or, some pineapple (I had this around 11 AM today) with my coffee pre-workout

Lunch: 

Tuna salad with cranberries, Sir Kensington’s mayo, celery and apple or whatever I have in the fridge. I either put this on top of spinach or on Trader Joe’s crisps or the Siete tortillas. My friend Natasha inspired me to do this with lettuce cups too, and I’m tuna OBSESSED now. It’s the easiest way to have lunch when you’re in a rush or need protein, but too lazy to spend time in the kitchen!

Turkey roll-ups (Siete tortilla but you can use any) and I spread Sir Kensington’s mayo and avocado on it. Then I roll it up and pair with sliced apple/celery. Or, some dark chocolate!

Grilled salmon, brussel sprouts and cauliflower rice (I prepped this all yesterday so I have lunch everyday for 7 days) and I put coconut aminos on the top. Today, I put some avocado on the bowl too.

Dinner:

Gluten-free pasta/ cauliflower pasta with pesto & goat cheese

Wine, but ran out. 🙁 

Grilled salmon with more cauliflower rice and potatoes (yesterday I added ghee to the pan and my potatoes came out AMAZING)

Tuna salad with cranberries, Sir Kensington’s mayo, celery and apple or whatever I have in the fridge. I either put this on top of spinach or on Trader Joe’s crisps or the Siete tortilla

SNACKS!

Here’s where it gets interesting because I don’t even know if I’m hungry when I’m snacking but since I’m sitting at my desk and I’m working… my mind wanders to the next room over and that’s the kitchen… so if you’re snacking, just eat healthy ones!

 Celery sticks with cream cheese/ peanut butter

More pineapple or strawberries/apple 

Turkey roll-ups (turkey/ham and then roll them up with mayo or pesto, no bread or tortilla for a snack)

Apple with peanut butter

#LifeUnfiltered

Join my friends and I all each day this week for an IG takeover!

FOLLOW THE FUN ON INSTAGRAM HERE!

So you’re home, you’re bored, and you’re thinking of all the things you could do but may be too lazy to pursue. Been thinking about writing a book? AWESOME. How about starting a blog or a clothing company?

You have all of these ideas but something is holding you back and you can’t figure out quite yet what is holding you back.

Why not?

Most people enjoy working 9-5 jobs because they don’t have to carve their own path. Let me tell you, carving your own path is hard. It takes blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of mental strength to be able to pursue something outside of your comfort zone. But it’s so worth it in the end. I’d love to see each and every one of you pursue a mini side gig during this time at home just because you can: not because you’ll become famous or rich overnight, but because you don’t know what might come out of something or what you’ll learn about yourself.

The crucial part of this time period is to grow as a person from inside your home. Mentally, you have the chance to be the best and strongest version of yourself so that when you go outside next, you know who you are, what you want, and the kind of people you want to surround you.

MAKE MONEY!

I posted this video years ago when I was living in Boston, and it walks you through everything I did to make money when I first launched. Starting a blog is easy: you only need access to the Internet and an idea. Don’t have an idea yet? Don’t fret: start a Pinterest page or Tumblr with pictures that inspires you. It might surprise you, but that’s how I started. I used to use Pinterest and Tumblr often before I launched A Life in the Fashion Lane. You don’t need money or an artistic ability to be able to use the Internet to your advantage.

START WRITING

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I started dating someone! We met at WeWork, and he initially approached me when he saw that I was writing in a real journal and not on my iPhone notes. Writing is a healthy way to let your ideas out in a safe space, and to give yourself some breathing room if you have thoughts in your mind that you don’t feel comfortable talking about out loud. I tell all aspiring business owners to get a real notebook and write everything down in it because you may think of something, write it down, and forget about it for a year, until one day you wake up and you’re like

yep, that’s the money idea.

READ

Amazon is not out of every book, so you can take time to order a few books on Amazon to read at home.

Here’s a list of my favorite books

that I HIGHLY encourage all of you to read, young adult or business owner. I read these books and walked away feeling like I had a brand new perspective on the world. What better time to read than right now?