Today is one of those days that I wish I was a stay at home mom. They are few and far between, as I have come to terms with (and am very satisfied) balancing my roles in life. But I was pulling my hair out today, banging my head against the wall, wanting to scream. I have so much on my mind, so much to do, so little time to fit it all in, I have a terrible head cold, and it was a frustrating day at work. It is easy to be positive when things are going smoothly...a little harder when they aren't.
I have been focusing a bit more these days on trying to get rid of the negativity, trying to recognize the start of a downward spiral before it gets out of hand. You know - sometimes when one things goes wrong, it just seems like everything does. Usually, I let that happen. Once it starts, I let every little thing get me down. As individual events, they really aren't that big of a deal. But when they all get thrown together, well...it is easy for that hole to get deeper and deeper.
So, today, I recognized where this was all heading. And I chose to take a different route. I knew I couldn't take it out on my students. So for all of our benefits (and quite out of character for me up to this point), I started class with a fun, irrelevant music video. (Ok, it did have a Rube Goldberg machine. A stretch, but it wasn't totally irrelevant to teaching physics.) That 3 minutes and 50 seconds of "lost" class time was SO worth it - for all of us. The next thing I did was pull out from the depths of my inbox an e-mail I received in 2006 called "The Bell Ringer." As corny as this e-mail and its accompanying video clip is, it makes me laugh EVERY time. I save it especially for days like this. (That one, I didn't share with the class.)
I felt better on this crappy day, because I forced myself to. It was by no means a perfect day. I still have tons of stuff on my mind and on my to-do list (and yet here I sit and write, because I find that this helps me feel better, too.) But it is nice to know that the hole doesn't have to get quite so deep before I jump out.
(Do you have something that you know always works to get you out of a bad mood or something that always makes you laugh? I would love to hear and maybe have something new to try on my next "bell-ringer day" or, better yet, as I attempt to finish this one out. )
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
John and I love watching quirky, funny movies like Austin Powers,and he often quotes parts...so I often think of favorite parts, "Who throws a shoe?"
ReplyDeleteI also think of really funny events...like a wild horse eating all the trail mix and the off-color remarks that followed or funny Michael Scott type actions taken by an old boss.
I also am a fan of singing loud music to change my mood-I recommend ACDC, Jimmy Buffet, and some song about a latte boy.
Unfortunately, I usually get too giddy from some of these things, then I have to pretend I'm not laughing when it isn't appropriate.
Ahh, yes. The horse. Can't help but smile at that one! :) Thanks, Kelly!
ReplyDeleteThis morning was a rough one - Ev threw up, Cort had a bloody nose, the dog ran away, and then when I went to get diapers out of the pantry, the shelf collapsed on me. It has got to get better from here! :)