When You Are in a MOOD

 What to do when you are in a MOOD

Hi Friend,

 The other day I woke up in a foul mood.

The first thought in my head was. I’m so tired.  And the first words I heard were, “didn’t you promise the boys donuts before school?” I was late for my promise before my feet hit the floor. 

It was a normal day — as normal as anything is these days! — so I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say that I was finding all sorts of reasons to BE grouchy. 

Every. Little. Thing. was pushing my buttons.

Apparently, I have a LOT of buttons.

What is wrong with these People!* I thought. 

And then,

What is wrong with me?

Well, for starters, most days I start my day by walking 3 miles. When the alarm goes off, I usually pop out of bed to go meet my friend. Moving my body and talking with a dear friend are my anchors.  I didn’t do either.

I usually have quiet time before the People wake up. That didn’t happen.

I often drink a lot of water in the morning and have a healthy breakfast. Nope. (See donut plan above)

You get the idea.

So, before I could get my day on track and show up to myself, my clients, and the People, I had to get myself together.

So I showed myself some self-compassion, acknowledging that it is okay to have a bad day.

I took a few quiet minutes and grounded myself in gratitude.

I washed my face sloooooowly and was really present with that process…

I prioritized my swirling to-do list and did only the MOST important task.

I drank a lot of water and I was deliberate about what else I put in my body that day.

I decided to let The People in on it:  I’m in a mood today. Please give me some grace….

And, when the kids were done with virtual school and my client work was done, I took a nap.

While it wasn’t my best day ever, but I was able to be tender with myself, present to my clients, and honest with my family.

I’m calling that a win.

It is so easy to get out of our routine and feel off.  That’s life!  

We are all going to have rough, off days. And, with a little self-compassion, and by being intentional, we can gently step back into our self-care practices that bring us back to center. 

I invite you to take a few minutes to journal or ponder these questions:

When you are having a rotten day, what thoughts swirl through your head?

What is one (or many!) sure-fire SMALL action to help you shift into a more positive space?

Is that small action a part of your “regular” self-care? (as in, is that something that you have a routine or commitment to?) If not, how could you build that into your self-care routines/rituals?

What are you grateful for today?

With love,

Jenny

*In case you didn’t know, I affectionately call my family “the People.”