How do you remedy a Grey Day?

When you feel low, how can you remedy what’s holding you back?

First, don’t be surprised.

Down days are to be expected. Sometimes when we feel low, we think we must be doing something wrong — or that there is something wrong with us. But down days are normal and to be expected, regardless of the weather.

Grey days prepare us for growth. Especially because you are a creative man, carving your life out of clouds and pebbles; making something out of nothing, you are going to have days when you think, “Did I miss a turn back there? Because I’m feeling pretty lost right now.” But how can you go somewhere new if you never get off the path you’re accustomed to traveling?

So get ready. Buy some emotional rain gear today and set it on the chair by the front door of your creative life. Then you’ll be ready to go outside and get lost for awhile in your creativity — and get something done.

Define the Grey.

An essential part of the remedy when you’re in a creative funk is definition. In other words, define the Grey. If you feel bad or sad or mad or afraid, there is a reason for that feeling. Unfortunately, we often hide those real feelings behind a gauzy screen of general anxiety or generalized depression — which come not as much from feeling as from thought. Actually, a tangle of thoughts.

If you want to get moving again, define the Grey by first acknowledging your feelings, to remedy your soggy day.

For example: there’s something wrong with one of your relationships, whether professional or personal. And you might say to yourself, “I feel anxious about this new relationship.” Or, “I feel depressed about the way this old relationship is going.” When this happens, stop and ask yourself: “What am I actually feeling?”

What’s the feeling?

Remember, there are five basic feelings:

• Mad

• Glad

• Bad

• Sad

• Afraid

Which of these — (or what combination of several of these feelings) am I actually feeling? Identify the feeling(s) as closely as possible.

Do it now.

Ask yourself: “What am I feeling?”

Sometimes it helps to write it down: “I’m at a crossroad in this relationship, and I’m afraid it’s going to end.” So there is it: “I’m afraid.” Which is not the same as being anxious or depressed. Feelings connect us with our deepest self.

So, good. Now you’ve said it. Remember that the revealing of feeling is the beginning of healing.

Now get moving.

You can feel and still move. Once you realize what is at the bottom of your Grey Day, you can get back to work. Right? You can feel bad and still do your work. Or sad, or mad, or even afraid. In the meantime you’ve acknowledged something deeply important.

Work on it while you work. The amazing thing is, once you have actually paused long enough to acknowledge your feeling, your brain will keep working on it without you sitting in your closet.

In other words, get back to doing what you do, and trust your brain to give you the next move when it’s time. It might be a little while. But in the meantime, you’ll feel better because you didn’t lose momentum with what gives you life.

The takeaway:

The best way to remedy a Grey Day is to acknowledge your feelings and get back to doing your best work.

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I can help you identify what’s distracting you, so you can get back to doing your best work.