Make Bad Mornings Better 9 WAYS TO TURN A BAD MORNING AROUND REBECCA HASTINGS
contributing writer
I thought it was an ordinary Tuesday. A day full of hope and promise for fun and learning. A normal day — until I looked at the clock. One minute the clock is kind, telling us we have plenty of time to get our people ready and out the door for a new day. Suddenly, it changes, almost screaming at us, “Hurry, hurry, hurry. We’re all going to be late!” There is a missing shoe and cereal spilled on the floor. A stuck backpack zipper and a forgotten math test. I didn’t even hear myself until I was at least six words into a rant about us always being late and we can’t keep doing this and where in the world was that missing shoe? We did what we always do. We let the dog clean up the cereal, I insisted (rather forcefully) on my youngest switching to a different pair of
shoes, I started spouting out math facts as I worked on the zipper. We were getting it done, but none of us were happy, and this was not the way I wanted to send everyone off on their day. Have you had mornings like this? A bad morning does not mean a bad day. Here are nine ways to turn things around: EXHALE Seriously. It helps. Let out all that you’re holding on to and breathe. It sounds so simple, but research shows that breathing can change your state of mind, and perhaps that’s the best way to turn things around. PICK ONE THING Many of us wear our multitasking crowns
with pride, after all, we are parents and there is so much to get done. Multitasking is often counter-intuitive, making us less productive because we are unable to organize information well. Plus it increases the stress hormone in the body. When things are going bad the one thing we don’t need is stress. So, pick one thing you can do. Address the broken zipper, and then move on to the next. Picking one thing at a time and working through your micro-emergency list in a serial fashion will help you get more done with less stress for everyone involved. VERBALIZE Being honest goes a long way, especially with kids. They know you’re upset just by a look or the sound of your voice. It is OK to tell them the morning isn’t going well. It’s good for them to see that we can identify things that aren’t ideal.
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