We can spend so much time thinking about our kids’ needs and just getting through all our daily responsibilities that sometimes it can all be a bit overwhelming. So when I recently read this post about how Storm from All Things Cherished keeps herself from being overwhelmed, I immediately knew it fit into the category of “solutions that make life easier.”
Every Day is a Good Day
by Storm
Let me share with you a strategy I use to avoid being flooded with feelings of gloom, depression, and fear.
Every day is a good day. But when I’m experiencing a day full of frustrations, I try not to call it a “bad” day, I call it an “interesting” day. This habit keeps me from being overwhelmed with negative emotions. Why does this work?
Repetitive thoughts and words create feelings. Those feelings create a positive or negative behavior pattern. If I tell myself it’s a bad day, I begin to feel defeated and exhausted.
If my day has one issue after another and I tell myself it’s an “interesting” day, this keeps my heart and mind open to gratitude, hope, solutions, resiliency, and sometimes even a sense of humor. I try to monitor my words when I’m feeling in a slump so I can avoid those “knot in your stomach,” stressful, anxious, sickening, “I’m losing it” feelings.
I have had several “interesting” days recently and I had to constantly remind myself to stop, do some deep breathing, and regroup. If you’re having an “interesting” day, let these words minister to you.
Sometimes the children are screaming, the boss is irritating, the traffic is slow, and the bill collectors just won’t go away. Sometimes you feel strong and confident. Sometimes you’re full of regrets and wonder where all the time went. Sometimes you feel like you want to give up. Sometimes you’re too tired to move because you have so much to do. Sometimes you’re lonely and wonder if love will ever come. Sometimes you’re glad to be alone to think your own thoughts. Sometimes life is easy. Sometimes life is hard.
Today be grateful that you’ve come this far. Breathe in peace, faith, and hope.
All the answers, I definitely do not know. But I’m here to say…
Don’t give up.
You can make it.
Miracles, big and small, happen each day. Don’t miss them because you’re focusing on your pain, frustrations, and fears.
Storm is a proud single mother to three wonderful children (1 gifted, 2 special needs; 1 boy, 2 girls; 1 foster, 2 natural). You can visit her blog at All Things Cherished.
What do you do to handle an “interesting day”? I’d love to hear what works for you when you are feeling overwhelmed.
And if you have a creative solution, product or idea that you would like to share here, please email me at trish(at)anotherpieceofthepuzzle(dot)com.
As the host of Try This Tuesday, Trish shares some of the solutions she has found to make life easier. She blogs at Another Piece of the Puzzle or Autism Interrupted.