Some feelings are clear. You can identify easily the sensation of being angry or scared or deeply in love. But what about those blah days when you feel a general unease that you can’t put your finger on?

We know that the human Emotional System is always working, so that there is an answer to the uncertainty, even if you can’t find it right away. And while feeling blah lends itself to frittering away time as if treading water, there is a healthy way to respond.

First, if you’ve got something important to do, do it. Because feelings shift with attention, as soon as you put your attention on something worthwhile the feeling will change, even if it might return later. The best solution to feeling blah is to become actively involved with something or someone you care about.

Beyond that, recall that all emotions are indicators, even if you’re not sure of what.  A short term blah feeling should not be confused with depression, though that is typically how people label it.  To find out what’s really going on, confront the blah feeling directly. Don’t try to avoid it. Take a moment to yourself and intentionally feel as blah as you possibly can. When you do, the underlying primary emotion will begin to reveal itself to you.

Chances are, the feeling is sadness. Something is not working out as you’d like and you feel sad about it. Or it could be anger: a slow burn about some small violation perpetrated on you that you haven’t gotten to the bottom of yet. Whatever it is, explore the primary emotion directly to work your way through it. Learn what you need and take whatever action is called for. Then you can move on.

Blah feelings aren’t a bad thing, but you don’t want to get stuck in them for a long time. Face this kind of feeling directly, and honor your passage through it. Let your Emotional System help you bounce back from feeling blah to your normal, healthy, resilient self.