What do you do when you’re grouchy?

I went to bed last night with the whole next day planned out.  I knew exactly how it was going to go, what I was going to do when, and every minute was scheduled.

And then I woke up and it all changed.

Why?

Because I woke up grouchy.  Does that ever happen to you?  Yeah, I thought so, which is why I decided to blog about it.

So what did I do about it?  Well, for starters I gave myself permission to switch it up.  I reminded myself that if I forced myself to do everything as planned that:

1. I would most likely get grouchier, and
2. Anything I try to create from a grouchy state of being never turns out how I want it to.

So after I walked the dog I grabbed my journal and went to the coffee shop.  I decided that giving myself 20 minutes to nurture my Soul was well-worth my time, energy, and money.  Writing my blog post – the initial plan – could wait a couple of hours.

Next I put on my running shoes and exercised for 30 minutes.  I know that one of the best things to do for my mental/emotional state of being is to physically exercise.  I’m sure there’s some sort of scientific explanation about chemical releases, etc. but all I know is that when I exercise I feel better.  So I had a choice.  I could:

1. Exercise and feel better, or
2. Not exercise and feel grouchier.

I chose to exercise.  I didn’t necessarily feel like exercising, but I did want to feel better.

Next, I was off to take The Girl to her ortho appointment and drive her back home which is an hour away.  This was the part of my day that needed to stay the same regardless of my mood because she was depending on me.  So I grabbed some food {avoiding extreme hunger while grouchy is VERY important!} and off we went.

While I was at her appointment I gave myself permission to read a book I’m enjoying.  Every time I read this book I feel uplifted and enlightened.  This was the perfect thing to do while I waited.  I could have gotten grouchier if I had allowed myself to get caught up in what I “had” to do, but instead I used it as an opportunity to continue to take care of me.

On the drive with my daughter there were a couple of times when I found myself triggered by things she said and in those moments I gave myself permission to be quiet.  Sometimes being quiet is the best thing you can do for your loved ones when you are grouchy.  And you know what?  We ended up having an amazing heart-to-heart convo that I had been wanting to have for awhile.  I shared with her how I was feeling about our new living situation {she recently moved in with her dad full-time} and asked her what she needed from me.  We were able to really connect and I feel so much closer to her now.

In fact, I might still be a tad bit grouchy, but I feel so good about how I’m walking through it.  I’m taking care of me.  I’m doing what I need to do to feel better.  I’m making how I feel a top priority.  And no one is paying a price for my grouchiness.  Not even me!

Everyone benefits when you share:
What do you do to move out of grouchiness?

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