How To Keep a Stiff Upper Lip on Those Dismal Days
Yesterday was kind of a crummy day for me.
And let's face it, we ALL have them sometime or another.
And when we have those kinds of days, it feels like an avalanche; like everything catches up with you and you just can't pull yourself out.
The key to not getting swallowed up on days like this is to remind yourself of what is GOOD.
To rejoice in the small victories of everyday life.
Let's Begin...
1. Make a List: Some days when I am completely swamped with errands to run, chores to do, and schoolwork to get done, ON TOP OF taking care of my kids and keeping the house together I make a list of all that I need to get done. And sometime that list is just too long, and completely overwhelms me. So to ebb this a little I add things to the list that I have already done, that way I can check them off and my list looks better because I have a few things done. Throw yourself a bone!
2. Make a Note of Your Small Victories: Today I went for my morning run. I could've stayed home and played around on Facebook or YouTube, but I didn't, I got up, and got dressed and went and burned 300-some-odd calories instead. I am a victor over my laziness! Hoorah! write these things down!
3. Love on Yourself: My friend Lisa is a very wise gal. I was griping to her a little about my body image and she gave me some advice. To look in the mirror each day and pick out things I like about how I look. This really and truly helps! It may seem a little corny, but it is quite effective. This doesn't just have to be for the physical, Tell yourself something you like about your heart, your personality.
4. E for Effort: Some more advice from Lisa is to get up, get dressed and primp yourself a little in the morning. take a shower, fix your hair, put on a little bit of makeup. This makes you want to start the day and gives you that little accomplishment to add to your list for the day! You feel a little cuter and prettier (and I'm sure the hubby would appreciate seeing you dressed and made up once in a while besides all sweatpantsy and blah!).
5. Turn to God: Pray. Pray for strength. Pray for patience. Just Pray. There is a website I found a few weeks ago that I just love. It's called Open Bible, and it has a topical list and search bar so you can look for scripture with a Google search feel. It is amazing how much this has helped me. I just type in whatever I am struggling with that day and try to find the words I need to get me through. This is such a fantastic resource, you would be remiss if you didn't go check it out!
6. Pin it up: Pinterest is a wonderful outlet for finding encouraging photos and quotes. I love love love this website!
7. Get up and Dance!: Turn on some good upbeat tunes and bust a move. You'll be laughing at yourself before you know it!
8. Burn some Calories: I have found the past couple years that I am much more likely to have a good day if I get up and get moving first thing in the morning. I use exercise as a mood elevator. And Lord knows, it freakin' works wonders! Jog around your house, Sprint down the street, Do a little P90X, just get moving and make those endorphins work for you!
9. Write it Down: Sometimes all I need to do to keep myself moving in the right direction is write down something that's bothering me. That paper will hold onto it so I don't have to! Visualize yourself taking it out of your head and putting it on that paper and leaving it there. I always feel better when I can get it out of my head.
10. The Golden Rule: Do something nice for someone else, that you would like if it were done for you. It seems like this might be counterproductive on a dismal day, but give it a try (wholeheartedly) and see how it makes you feel.
11. Take a Nap: Sometimes the best thing to do is to just start the day over. Set your alarm for 30 minutes from now and lay on down. here's an opportunity to wake up on the right side of the bed without letting the day waste away. It has been studied and proven that sleep is useful in recharging your brain. Sleep loss is a predictor for depression. Sleeping helps us recuperate, supports growth and creative thinking and helps us to rebuild our fading memories. So, do yourself a favor, get some rest!
12. Breathe Deeply: use the few yoga moves you remember from the one time you actually went to class to stretch it out and breathe deeply. (I know not everyone has the patience to stop and breathe deeply for a 10 count [myself included] but if you can suffer through the seemingly pointlessness then it could actually do you some good!
14. Multi-task.... or Don't: Sometimes we just have to multi-task to get ANYTHING done. This may be a slightly confusing tip, but bear with me! But in some cases I find that I am Multi-tasking too much and am actually getting nowhere! It's like I'm only treading water instead of swimming across the pool. So if you find that you have so much to do, then multi-task, and if you find that multi-tasking is slowing you down, then stop doing it and prioritize and start over one step at a time.
Have some suggestions?
Leave them In the Comments section below!
I'll update the post with your submissions and credit you for them!
2 comments:
Love it!! You help me just as much as I help you!! I was doing list and as soon as I FAILED to do them my house went to messy and so did my mood... I'm'a think'n a list is in line right next to the coffee pot... 2 things that will make my day kick off and happy!! ooohhh and as corny as it sounds I may just mount a small mirror in the inside of my kitchen cabinet by the coffee maker and put on my make-up while I wait on my coffee!!! cool stuff!
it seems the same happens to me every time I get out of the habit of making lists! That's where I keep my list is right next to the coffee maker!! lol!
I like your mirror in the cabinet idea, way to consolidate time!
<3 you!
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