Ever had a bad day like this?

“Mommy! Mommy!’ Wake up!” Your kids bolt into your room. Your eyes jump open, and you look at the clock. 6:07 am.

Murh. Why won’t those kids sleep in just one day?!

You pull your body up and out of your nice warm bed and as your feet hit the floor, you feel the mind numbing tiredness that only a mom feels. It’s time to start the day but you yearn to be back in your nice warm bed.

“Mommy get up!!”

As you stumble to the coffee pot, the loudness of your children’s voices jolts your mind.

Is it too much for them to be quiet until you have your first cup of coffee?

You turn on the tv to hopefully keep them occupied while you wake up.

You take your first sip and feel the sweet liquid warm up your insides. You take a deep breath, trying to find peace within this disgruntled feeling deep inside you.

Your sweet toddler walks into the kitchen and asks for a cup of milk, you snap at him “Just give me a MINUTE!!” The anger comes out of nowhere and the guilt for yelling hits you right in the chest.

Why is everything so annoying!?

You just don’t want to adult today.

You fantasize about sitting down on the couch with your cup of coffee and big piece of chocolate cake and binge watching Hart of Dixie on Netflix. Oh to be given the luxury of being lazy again.

But you can’t, you have kids.

As the morning goes on, every shred of patience leaves your body, and you’re taking out your bad mood on your kids. You snap at them, tell them “no” more than “yes”, and to top if off you just told your daughter that didn’t want to see her face. Sigh.

You wonder what’s wrong with you? Why are you so angry!? Nothing in particular has made you mad, it’s just life. Your feeling funky. That’s it, just funky.

The guilt starts creeping in and you’re tired of feeling this way.

It’s time to start fresh.

It’s time to shake off the funk and reconnect with your kids. It’s time to infuse some fun into this house!

How to reset a funky day:

1. Get Physical

Do something, anything that gets your body moving. I prefer to involve the kids because it’s fun for everyone and can reset your entire family.

Moving your body and raising your heart rate triggers your body to release chemicals called endorphins. These powerful neurotransmitters are instant mood lifters.

Have a dance party, wrestle, or have a tickle fight. Run around the house with your hands above your head and be silly.

Dance with the GoNoodle app (check it out it’s really fun).

Your kids will laugh and you’ll feel better.

2. Find your laughter

It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you’re laughing, so find something funny.

Laughing is obviously a mood lifter, but how do we make ourselves laugh when we’re feeling funky?

My favorite? Cat Videos.

Seriously, I gather my boys around the computer and we site and watch silly cat videos and laugh until we cry.

Not a cat video fan? Try some of these.

Tell jokes together (kid jokes can be hilarious)
Make funny faces at each other
Make up silly songs or stories
Sing like an opera singer
Watch a funny movie

If find the laughter, you can turn your whole day around.

3. Get Outside

Sometimes we need to get outside and fill our lungs with fresh air.

Research shows that spending time outdoors increases energy in 90% of people. When you’re feeling funky, you typically don’t have a lot of energy. So step outside and take fresh oxygen into your system and you’ll instantly feel better.

Get moving and play outside with your kids and you’ll start feeling better fast. Throw the ball around, play tag, climb trees, ride bikes…basically be a kid again. Play, have fun and get happy!

Even if you need a break from your kids, just stepping outside and taking a few deep breaths can change your mood.

These three small things can do miraculous things. Try them, they work.

Amanda

I was a Mental Health Counselor who worked with children and mothers in both individual and group counseling environments before I became a Stay at Home Mom to two boys. I have a Bachelors Degree in Child Development and Family Studies and a Masters in Counseling where I specialized in Play Therapy.