Good days, bad days. Every one of us is guaranteed to have them all. But things start to get icky, as I well know, when that bad day spreads from one to the next and ends up oozing all over the rest of your week/month/year/life. The skilful trick is in knowing how to get your mojo back on track when it’s gone off the rails.

It’s invaluable and, in this post, I’m here to show you just how to design your very own ‘Mojo Resurrection Toolkit’.

Start with awareness

Those of you that work with me will be yawning and/or smirking (see if you can do both at the same time clever clogs, ha) when I say “It always starts with awareness”.

BUT IT DOES.

We can’t completely stop our thoughts. But we can be vigilant to their sneaky ways. We sure can catch them in the act and stop them getting carried away with themselves.

So, if you notice that your mojo has gone for a wander, the first place to look for the robber is inside your own head.

Three sure-fire signs that your mind has nicked your mojo:

  1. The tone of your inner voice has changed – has become (more) harsh, critical or unkind.
  2. It’s telling you some old stories – you know, those ones that really push your buttons (I’m lazy. I’m not good enough – same, same, not different)
  3. It’s gone extreme binary renegade – using words like always, never, must and should.

Once you notice this has happened, you’re back in the driving seat and you can whip out your toolkit.

Designing your defibrillator

This is the fun bit. This is where you get to tap into the things that make you smile, that nurture your soul, that makes you feel whole and that will bring a shockwave of life back to your mojo.

It’s really important that you float your own boat with this. I’ve set out some categories below and given you some examples but, the more unique this is to you, the more effective it’s going to be when you come to use it.

So, here are some compartments that may feature in your Mojo Resurrection Toolkit:

1. The trusted advisor

That person(s) in your life who gets you – who often knows what to say to make you feel loved and comforted.

The way you use your trusted advisor is that you pick up your phone, you open WhatsApp and you send them a message saying “Can we chat?”. Simples.

If you find that you lose your mojo on regular basis then perhaps your message will say “Mojo lost again, search party required”.

And your trusted advisor will (wo)man up and know what to do.

2. The active distraction

Pick an activity that gets you out of the house and, preferably, gets you moving in some way.

Something for which you don’t have to think, or perform, or even be sociable if you don’t want to.

But something that you know you can get lost in – yoga, dance, running, walking are all great. Even shopping can fit here (as long as you can afford it!).

3. The passive distraction

This is an activity that can be done from the comfort of your own home but that, again, you know you can get lost in.

It’s about achieving that state of flow where time passes without you realizing and your brain only wants to focus on the thing that you’re doing.

A trashy/stimulating book, your favourite magazine, an excellent blog (like this one!), spring cleaning (apparently some people love it!), some kind of puzzle or game.

Of course, Netflix technically fits here too. And if you are really out of steam then a duvet day in front of Netflix (other providers are available) might be just what you need to reset.

BUT only if you know that this is a useful tool that will help you to feel BETTER, not worse.

4. The pleasure planner

You may not feel like doing anything today but I can promise you that you’re not always going to feel this way. And you can set that positive intention by getting your diary out and making some plans for the week ahead.

They can be pleasurable things or just things that need to get done – getting organized can be fun!

For me (weirdo that I am), this would include booking in when I’m going to do my exercise for the week – which has the bonus of ticking box #10, the self-love box, too.

5. The thought buster

You already know that I believe the way that we think is at the heart of the way that we feel. So, if you’re really feeling determined to nip this funk in the bud, then getting curious about your thinking is the thing to do.

A great way of doing this is journaling – this doesn’t have to follow any fancy technique or be done in a special way (albeit I always find a trip to Paperchase supremely uplifting). Just write. Getting things out of your head and onto paper can be SO cathartic even if you stop right there.

To take it to the next level you can get curious about what’s on the other side of the story, what other possibilities there might be and what other lenses could you look at the world through.

6. The reluctant smile

This may sound daft because I know at this point you don’t feel at all like smiling. But, trust me, just give it a go.

There is something weird that happens when we turn up the sides of our mouths, must be psychosomatic, and it’s really difficult to not feel, at least a tiny bit, different when you force your face to go into a smile.

While you’re there, I absolutely LOVE this meditation from Tara Brach that’s based on the visualization of a smile.

And then, if you really want to pimp your toolkit then see if you can find something funny about your situation or the way that you’re thinking right now. It’s hard. But it’s so worth it if you can find something to have a chuckle at.

Then, do you have one particularly hilarious person in your life? Someone who almost makes you crack up just by looking at them (I don’t mean that in an unkind way!). Get in touch with them and set them the challenge of making you wet yourself laughing.

Finally, do you have a favourite comedian? I’m slightly ashamed to say that mine is Michael McIntyre (seems so low brow) and with the beauty of YouTube, I can access him anytime.

7. The Kirsty Allsop

Bet you didn’t predict this one!

By this I don’t mean you should get in touch with the real Kirsty Allsop (she may get rather annoyed with a bunch of people asking her if she can help find their lost mojo), I mean that you could create a lovely environment for yourself.

Go and sit in your favourite place. Grab your favourite blanket. Consciously take in the lovely things that you’ve chosen to surround yourself with. And, if you can, feel a moment of gratitude for the simple fact that you have a roof over your head.

And if the place where you live isn’t quite as you’d like it, is there anything that you could do/buy/change right now which would make it feel more like your sanctuary, more like home?

8. The infinite universe

Yes, I’ve gone a bit hippy-dippy-woo-woo here but I find that there’s nothing that gives me more perspective on my little life than opening my eyes wider and looking way beyond my own circumstances.

Nature is always a good one. But for me, the sky, in particular, is the absolute bomb for this.

My other go-to tends to be about inventions, curiosity about the way things work and who was the clever person that first designed ‘the hinge’ for example (yes, I know, perhaps I have too much time on my hands)?

Humour me. Have a go at looking at the world as if through the eyes of a four-year-old. What would amaze you? What would you have questions about (you know all those annoying ‘but why?’ questions they ask, now it’s your turn)?

9. The tiny to-do

Total and utter inaction is not our friend in this place. We probably don’t have the energy to conquer our to-do list but I reckon we can do something. Something really small.

Find the tiniest, easiest thing that’s on your list, even better if it’s something you’ve not got around to doing for ages, and, as the folks at Nike would say, “just do it”.

10. The self-love act

You can get a bit frisky here if you really like but you may not be in the mood.

Instead, do something for yourself that someone would only do if they loved themselves. Run yourself a bath, get a manicure, buy the premium range, give yourself some flowers.

Some people call this ‘fake it til you make it’, others call it ‘acting as if’. Your mind can be very clever but it can also be easily fooled so if you behave a certain way, it finds it hard not to feel that way too.

Ta-da, your handy guide to building your Mojo Resurrection Toolkit!

Closing thoughts

The whole point of this toolkit is that it needs to be designed for you, by you and is to be given to you, by you, with love.

But don’t think you can get onto this whenever you next experience a funk. I guarantee you either won’t see the point or you won’t have the energy and creativity needed to design it.

Do it now. Do it while you’re feeling great but inspired by when you’re feeling not so great.

And if you don’t know where to start, you think you need a bit of a jump-start or you want a (very lovely) private investigator to help you on the search for your mojo then I’m here, ready and waiting for you.

Click here and it can all begin with a chat.