Today was a stressful day. I still haven’t unpacked from my vacation. I have lots of deadlines coming up at work, which means tons of paperwork to get to. I had several calls to make and no child-free time to make them in. Then, I tried to make the calls, and ended up trying to sound professional with a screaming toddler in the background. Then, I spoke harshly to said screaming toddler. Then, my poor husband came home to a stressed mommy with no idea what to make for dinner. Then, I cried when he asked me how my day had been.
Not my best moment. Not my best day, actually.
But, in honor of bad days, I made a list of 7 ways to feel better. Hopefully, it will inspire me, too!
7 tips for Feeling Better about yourself:
1. Look at yourself through your own eyes. - Try not to think about how you look to others. Judge yourself by your own standards. You know what your priorities are; others don’t. For example, when my daughter was screaming today because she really wanted a sandwich right before dinner time, I was fine with letting her cry about it and not giving in. But then, I started worrying that the neighbors might hear her crying and think something was wrong. It made me a thousand times more stressed out to worry about what other people thought about the moment, rather than to just look at the situation from my own eyes and deal with it in the best way I knew how. If I can just focus on things through my own eyes, it really makes me feel better about myself.
2. Think of 3 things you’re grateful for right now. – not things that you once liked about yourself or things that you hope you will become. I stole this idea from my friend who writes the "Sharing the Journey" blog. Think of 3 things that you are thankful for about yourself right now, as you are. For example, I like how strong my body is today, I like that I am a fast report writer, & I like my crazy wavy red hair.
3. Remember a past accomplishment – Odds are, that accomplishment wasn’t easy. There were trials and hardships, but you pushed through and made it happen. Revel in that.
4. Call an old friend – Even if you just chat for 5 minutes, old friends are the best for helping you clear your fog and get back to yourself.
5. Do something small. - It’s satisfying to have a little success here and there. If the big things in your life are going a bit haywire, try finding some small successes. For me, that means I start a little project (scrapbooking, cooking, gardening, etc.) that will yield fast results.
6. Tidy up – Looking at chaos makes most of us feel stressed. Getting just one corner of a room in order and having something beautiful to look at can really boost my mood.
7. Listen to Your Body – Do you need more sleep? More protein? Maybe you haven’t been drinking enough water? Have you taken your vitamins? Sometimes when I’m feeling down, if I just get a nap or eat a snack, I feel a lot better.
By the way, this photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post....it just makes me feel better!
What makes you feel better about yourself? Any little tips that you have to share would be wonderful!
