Welcome back to 31 Days to Less Stress! We talked yesterday about the need to make better choices when things are going as planned. Today, we will take a look at what to do when we lose it.
Is your room clean? Why are these shoes still in the middle of the floor? Who spilled this? Did you take out the trash like I asked? I still see shoes!
Ever had one of those days? It seems as if no one wants to help and your stress level keeps going up and up until BOOM! You just explode. And it isn’t pretty. And you regret it. A lot.
How do we handle when this happens? How do we find balance again?
1. The first step is to take a step back and calm down. Emotions need to settle before you rush into repair mode. Give yourself a few minutes to get it together.
2. Ask for forgiveness.
- Say a prayer asking God for forgiveness. Then ask for help in addressing the situation.
- Ask forgiveness of those you have wronged. Be specific in telling exactly what you are sorry for. This is a really important step. So often, we are taught just to say I’m sorry and get it over with so we can move on. We must take the extra step and explain “I am sorry for getting upset. I did not handle it well. This is not how I want to treat you.” One thing I always tell my kids is when you say “I’m sorry”, mean it or it doesn’t mean anything. It is so important for our kids to see that we recognize our mistakes and own up to them.
- Forgive yourself. Don’t keep holding onto your mistakes.
3. Address the initial problem. It didn’t just go away. Have a frank discussion about what caused you to be upset. If you ignore the problem, it sets you up for failure in the future.
When we reach breaking point and lose it, it’s not pretty. We have to find a way to recover. To do so, we must calm down, ask forgiveness, and then address the initial problem. Only then can we move forward in a positive direction.
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