Ever have a day when you just feel "blah"? You don't want to get out of bed. You don't want to get ready for the day. You just want to stay under the covers, sleep when you feel like it, and read a good book in the times you may be awake. Well, I felt that way this morning. There were a few kinks in my plans to be a sloth for the day. Namely...well, I won't name them here because I'd rather view them as blessings than kinks! :)
But, you know, if you have a job to go to or maybe four young children to take care of, loafing around under the bed covers is not a viable option, even for the most "blah" of days. So, here's how I managed to get through the day, even though I felt like I didn't want to and couldn't do much of anything.
1. Turn off the alarm. Pretend I don't hear the kids running in the hallways. Roll over and sleep for few more minutes.
2. When the running kids come into the bedroom and say something along the lines of, "Hey, Mommy! Why aren't you awake yet?" roll over again to pray for energy to keep up with the day. My prayers usually go something like this: Oh, Lord, I don't feel like getting up. Please help me to be ready to work hard for You today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
3. Slowly - and I do mean very slowly - get dressed and brush teeth. Today I even ran a brush through my hair. Going all out over here!
4. Do the next thing. I read this on a mom-of-many blog and it has truly changed my perspective on getting through tough days with little ones. If I remember correctly the blogger might have said something like, "Do the next thing. Eat a few chocolate chips and keep going."
5. Let the kids have more free time than usual. That's right. I let much of the schedule go today. We did our schoolwork in an out-of-the-ordinary order, but we got it all done. Then it was time to play...and time for me to sit and do nothing. Well...checking on the kids every 5 minutes as they played in the giant mud puddle in the backyard isn't really nothing, but it felt like it!
6. Keep the main structure of the day intact. Yes, we had a lot of free play. We also kept to our anchor points and times in our schedule. This meant that the kids still knew what to expect, I didn't have to make last minute decisions about what we were doing, and everybody was happy. Our anchors are breakfast, lunch, rest time, foursies (afternoon clean-up), and dinner.
7. Play some loud, encouraging music and try to act enthusiastic. I heard a family once say to their kids, "If you act enthusiastic you will be enthusiastic." It works for our kids and it worked pretty well for me today. Just because I feel "blah" doesn't mean I have to act "blah". As it was, I was shuffling around sloth-like enough, but I didn't want the "blahs" combined with an inability to satisfy them to take over and get the better of my attitude. Try it some day. It really works.
8. Pinterest search for dinner. Yep. I also had no appetite today, which made dinner planning pretty...well..."blah". It's amazing what turns up on Pinterest with a search like "I don't feel like cooking tonight" or "easy dinner". We ended up with homemade tomato soup (really yummy!) and grilled cheese sandwiches. Simple. Easy. Comforting. And everybody like it. I'd say that's a win, especially considering I was one step away from ordering dinner tonight.
So, it's not rocket science. It's not original. And it certainly isn't going to be made into some book about how to feel your very best no matter how grey the day. But, I'm thankful that the Lord enabled me to make it through this "blah" day. One or two years ago I would have succumbed to the way I felt, curled up on the couch, and determined that I could accomplish absolutely nothing. I would have subsequently become discouraged and frustrated and probably would have shed a few tears before the day's end. Today, by God's grace, I made it through the day, didn't take a nap, kept a good attitude, laughed more than usual, and even managed to do some laundry.
So, how do you get through then day when you feel "blah"?
Thanks for this. I've been having a lot of blah days lately. A couple months ago (when my morning sickness was at it's worse), I used the TV much more than I ever imagined I would; and i felt guilty and horrible about it- and the kids were grouchy, despite their TV time. This week, perhaps the most difficult week in my life- my Dad passed away. Instead of hiding under the sheets like I wanted to, we went to a hotel, I did homeschool, and even went swimming in the indoor pool. My entire family is in shock and depressed right now, yet, somehow, we had fun with the kids. As Nathan said, "we need to concentrate on the next generation, not the last". Yesterday, our first day back home, I became a sloth again, the kids tore apart the house, and watched too much TV. Sure, I was trying to get paper work together that is important for the situation we are in, but it was no excuse to "do nothing". Tomorrow we get back on track, even though I'm sad, torn, week, and having crazy pregnancy stuff to top it all off. No excuses. I can do all things, through Christ. He gives me strength.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine going through what you are facing right now. Praying for you!
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