How to reboot your day in six steps

This is another vintage post, this time from Wicked Whimsy, tweaked & rewritten just for you. New posts resuming next Thursday!

Every now and then, we all have one of those days. You wake up feeling icky – not sick, just sort of a lingering malaise that you can’t quite shake. Something caused by nightmares or a kink in your neck or a headache. And then when you start to tackle your to-do list for the day, it feels like you’re swimming through molasses. In January. With cement shoes. In short: no bueno.

Next time you  have a day like this, step back for a moment, and pause. Breathe. And then, reboot your day. Start over with a clean slate, consciously and intentionally, and see where this new day takes you. Here’s some tips:

  1. Stop what you’re doing. Especially if it’s making you more frustrated. Just stop. Turn it off, walk away from it for a while, physically remove it from your sight if it will make you calm down more. If you were working on a computer, turn off the monitor or shut your laptop.
  2. Eat something. Without any distractions, preferably in silence or listening to some of your “happy” music. Low blood sugar can make you cranky and sluggish (ask me how I know!), not to mention give you a wicked case of brain fog. And all too often, we rush ourselves through meals, thinking about what we should be doing or where we should be or watching television instead of focusing on the food. I wouldn’t suggest eating anything too sugary, because that’ll just cause another blood sugar crash before too long – try something like oatmeal or peanut butter on toast. Eat it slowly, in peace, and just focus on the food in front of you and how it tastes, without worrying about anything else.
  3. Take a walk or do yoga. Both of these activities are relaxing and will help get your blood flowing + fresh oxygen to your brain. Sometimes, getting out of the physical space you’re in is a necessary step to changing your current mood.
  4. Do something simple & easy that already needed to be done. This gives you a feeling of accomplishment, however tiny, and helps get you out of that “this day is worthless” rut. A few of the things I do are unloading and reloading the dishwasher, or decluttering my desk. You might clean something or organize something – as long as it genuinely needs to be done, it’s good!
  5. 5-10 minutes of meditation/quiet. Or however long you feel comfortable doing so, even if it’s just for a moment. You might just sit and listen to a calming song in silence, or write a quick list of all the things you’re grateful for. It does us all good to say “thank you” every once in a while.
  6. Resume working with a clear head, a peaceful heart, and the feeling that this day won’t be a waste after all!

Take a nap?

If this works for you, go ahead and do it. I have mixed results with napping, sometimes waking up totally refreshed and sometimes waking up with a thumping headache. But there’s been studies out the wazoo that say naps are freakin’ fabulous, so don’t feel guilty about it if you choose to do so.

And there you have it – one fresh new day for you to do whatever you wish with! Doesn’t that feel delicious? The only thing left is to make sure you put it to good use!

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