How's Your Day?

Ever have "one of those days?" Maybe even one of those weeks? Sometimes it can feel as though our day gets away from us, and we are not even sure how. One thing for us to be aware of is our attitude and how we respond to certain situations. Here's an example.....

Have you had a morning, where in your waking up process you maybe stub your toe on the corner of the bed or dresser? I have, and generally I'm left with one of two trains of thought, either: that's a bad way to start today, my day will probably be bad; or ouch! well my day can only get better from here. On the days I go with the first thought process, everything has a negative shade to it, kind of like I'm being followed by Charlie Brown's rain cloud. Traffic is horrible, that person just cut me off, and I tend to be more sensitive to the way in which people talk with me (boy that person really has an attitude today). On the days when I take the mindset that things can only get better from here, the same traffic situation is now normal, not horrible; the person who cut me off, I'm paying more attention to and prepare for it, so it does not bother me; and I tend to see the way in which people are interacting with me in a more positive manner. The mindset I start the day with not only influences the way in which I perceive my day, but additionally it has either a negative or positive impact on my energy level for the day.

Now the example I have given was stubbing my toe, but stubbing my toe could also be your children waking you up early, siblings arguing with each other, a comment from your partner, any one of a thousand things. It is important to be aware of how we are feeling, and if we are upset, identify why we are upset and try to reframe it through a more positive lens. The great thing about our attitudes and perceptions is that we have the power at any point throughout our day, to re-start our day. If we notice that we have allowed the negative thought processes to take over, we can stop, perform some sort of starting over process and begin our day anew. For me, when I have identified that I have allowed my negative mindset to take over, I try to get a minute or two to myself, take several deep breathes, and give myself a little pep talk. Whatever you do, make it personal to yourself, and give yourself the opportunity to have a great day!