The upside down day – What do you do when nothing goes as planned?

Photo courtesy: justinscyther.blogspot.com

Have you ever had a day where everything seemed to be turned upside down? You leave early for work only to get stuck in a traffic jam. Upon arriving at work, you rush from your car (on a cold winter’s day), leaving your gloves behind. You soon discover that you have to take a group of kids outside for recess.

During story time with a group kids you cross your legs and discover that you forgot to change your socks. Displayed for all to see is a pair of lime green footies…and you’re not wearing anything close to green. That was my day in second grade last week. How can you recover from an out of control day?

Eat chocolate, and then re-group!

Take deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth, exhaling slowly.

If you like to write, you could channel all of your negative energy into a new writing project. When I saw the picture below, it reminded me of how writing about something can make you feel better.

 

Photo courtesy: writerswrite.com

 

What other ways can help one to feel better after a long day? My Google search led me to an article titled Having a Bad Day? The author of the article listed the following as things that worked for her in turning around a difficult day.

·         Take a mini meditation break – a five to ten minute meditation break can help you relax and start fresh with a different perspective.

·         Talk to a Good Friend – the article stressed talking to a “good” friend; someone who will listen to you feelings and empathize and not bring you down.

·         Work it Out – get fit and blow off a little steam at the same time. Even if you only have time for a short workout, every little bit helps.

Read the full article at about.com by clicking on the article title above.

On that cold winter’s day after leaving second grade, I sat in my car and jotted down a few notes about my day. I felt a little better. I texted a friend, found a Hershey’s Kiss in the glove compartment of my car, and relaxed a little more. The rest of the day was going to be ok.

What techniques do you use to recover from a day that seems to be upside down crazy?

 

 

CTRL + ALT + DEL – How to minimize stress in your life

Courtesy of Love Quotes and Sayings

I came across the photo in this post while searching for something else. When I read the caption for Control, Alt, Delete, the first thing that came to mind was managing stress. We all experience stress at some point in our lives, but how we handle it can make all the difference in the world.

Sometimes kids can cause undue stress, for parents and for themselves. When these stressors appear it would be nice if we could just press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and start over. Here are a few situations that I have found that can trigger stress:

1.      Your child says “I need a poster board for my project at school tomorrow.” It’s 8pm and you just passed three stores on the way home and your child never said a word.

 

Solution:        Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself, go ahead and purchase the poster board to save your child’s grade. However, let him know there will be consequences…whatever you come up with, take away privileges, add chores etc.

 

2.      Your child announces, “We got our fundraiser forms today.” You immediately begin to think about who you can ask to buy things this time. You begin to panic because you’re running out of willing friends.

Solution:        List a few friends and family on the donation form and just make a contribution in their names.

3.      On the way out the door for school your child says, “oh yeah, I think my field trip money is due today. Here’s the note.” He hands you a crumpled piece of paper from the bottom of his backpack.

Solution:        Hmmm, what would you do here…write a check, send the money to school? Or would you tell your child he may have to miss this trip?

4.      You’ve been asked to serve on a board of directors, the PTO, work with the youth at church and to bake cupcakes.

Solution:          Say, “No thank you” or “I can’t commit to that at this time” and don’t feel bad.

5.      Your project deadline is approaching and you’re only half done.

Solution:          Take a step back and reassess your priorities. What can you move to the back burner in order to complete your project? Perhaps you can delegate some of your other tasks.

When you feel certain stressors rising remember Ctrl =+ Alt + Del. Control yourself by reacting calmly. Think about an alternative solution, and delete stressful situations as quickly as possible.

What tips would you give for minimizing stress?