The Number One Thing You Should Do On Rough Days

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It was one of “those” days, to say the least. My normally sweet toddler was cutting 5 (yes, 5!!) teeth at once, making him clingy, cranky and unable to sleep for the past three nights. At 33 weeks pregnant, resting well is a must, not a suggestion, so you can imagine how my heart was starting to look. The lack of rest and seeing my little one in pain were really taking its toll on my thought life. Soon enough, I began thinking thoughts of defeat and allowing insecurity to take root in my heart. My home got to be a really negative place, which is to be expected!

As a Mama, I know that I have a huge influence over my home. I know that I can make or break the way my family’s days go. When those hard days hit, I have two options: To break down or to get back up. The number one thing we must make an attempt to do on those rough days is to change our atmosphere. It’s so easy for our homes to get in a rut of defeat and negativity.

Having a game plan before those rough days hit is extremely important. When my days are hard, my mind gets so bogged down that I can’t even focus on the next thing, much less try to form a plan of action. Here are some simple things that you can do to change the atmosphere of your home and regain your peace.

Change What You Hear

Music has the ability to affect my mood drastically. If my home is filled with chaos and discouragement, the first thing that I do is turn on a great worship playlist. If you’ve found yourself complaining or if you’re hearing those around you speaking negatively, positive music or a positive podcast can get everyone thinking good thoughts again. Just hearing those words of encouragement paired with an uplifting beat is enough to turn my frown upside down! This also gives me a great reminder to speak positive words into my family’s lives as well.

Speaking of words, it’s a good idea to take a moment to think about how I am contributing to the negativity of my home. Am I complaining, criticizing, or condemning? Am I allowing things into my home that drag down my family’s spirit? All of those things can create a negative atmosphere extremely fast!

Change What You See

A change of scenery doesn’t require a lot of money or effort. Just opening a window to let some sunshine in makes a huge difference. If the day is gloomy, try lighting a candle or just opening the curtains. If you’d like something a little more drastic, there is always the option of rearranging something in your home or even printing off a cheery print to change things up.

At times, it can help change the atmosphere of your home to set something positive in front of your eyes! It’s a great suggestion to read even a few Bible verses or a paragraph of an encouraging book. It’s better to have encouraging things in small doses than not at all!

Change Up Your Routine

It’s easy for the mundane to get us down. While routines are great, sometimes it is beneficial to stray from your original plans and just let loose! My son is a toddler, so some of the ways that we create change is to do a little craft, have a random dance party, make a fort, have a picnic or bake something yummy.

At times, we will take the day off and just spend the day doing relaxing activities like cuddling and reading. This isn’t always possible and depends on the season we’re in, but it’s a great way to refresh our happiness!

Get Organized

If my home is a total mess, I can get negative. No one likes to live in a filthy place, especially not this type A girl! Spending just a little bit of time organizing an area can make a huge difference. I will generally take about 15 minutes to do a fast de-clutter of my main areas (kitchen, living room, etc). I also have a “crisis cleaning list” and a “must do no matter what cleaning routine” that I follow on a daily basis.

Look Out For Number One

If you’re feeling cranky, sad, discouraged or just plain down.. take a moment to think about when you last did something to nourish your spirit. It’s hard to pour into the spirits of those around you and cultivate a happy home when you have nothing to give. You have to pour into yourself to be able to pour into others. Do something nice for yourself that will nourish your spirit. This is going to vary from person to person. For me, I can get a boost by drinking an iced coffee and reading a couple of complex poems. My husband pours into himself by watching funny YouTube videos. Find out what the little things are that make you happy and take time to do them.

How do you turn a bad day around?