Mom and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day…Rolling with the Punches

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is one of my children’s’ favorite books. If you are unfamiliar with it, the lead character Alexander experiences a series of minor, yet somewhat traumatic (to him), occurrences throughout his day that individually would not amount to much but cumulatively result in the WORST DAY EVER. I know I can relate.

Has this ever happened to you? Your toddler soaks his bed in the middle of the night and decides its playtime and doesn’t go back to sleep for two hours. Then you obviously wake up late for work on a day you have a gazillion meetings, only to have your hair dryer blow up in your hand. You then have to rush to tackle the sink full of dishes you left for morning only to splash pasta sauce on the dress you have to wear to work, a luncheon, and a board meeting. You finally manage to get out the door and then SOMEONE. THROWS. UP! Yes, this was actually my morning.

Then I snapped at my husband, snapped at my toddler (aka- the puking child), and peeled out of my subdivision to get away from this disaster as quickly as I possibly could, tears welling up in my eyes with the overwhelming feeling that the universe is telling me to give up on this day and go back to bed. Where do you go from here?

After a necessary trip through Starbucks, I sit in my car (because traffic of course), and remind myself that this is just a bad day, not a bad life. Even when the hectic days turn into trying weeks, there are infinitely worse things that could happen in this world than having to clean vomit off of both yourself and the inside of your car with Lysol wipes. These are just the little obstacles that life throws at you to remind you to really savor the good moments because the bad ones are inevitable, and you will need some photo-stream reminders of the good to make it through.

Some mamas have a mantra while others have faith in the divine. I, however, will be perfectly honest: I have coffee and wine. OK, I say that in jest (sort of), but what really helps me through these days are doing some of the following:

Vent to mom friends.

No one understands mama struggles more than your fellow mom-tribe, and my tribe is EVERYTHING! At this point, my husband kind of hates me, and my kids are wishing for a mom that can keep it together, but my mom friends let me know they are right there with me and share their similar stories, so before long, I am laughing at myself.

Try to find the humor in it.

I mean seriously, what are the odds that THIS is the morning that my normally organized, routine, and punctual existence will be thrown so chaotically into upheaval? If you can’t laugh when the “Universe” is clueing you in that it doesn’t give a rat’s behind how busy your day is, then you clearly don’t get irony.

Put on some gangsta rap and jam out.

OK, maybe for you it is 80s music, or country, but you get the picture. The best way to clear your head space is to fill it with the song lyrics you are trying desperately to remember (or in my case, make up along the way). It is therapeutic and, even if only momentarily, decreases your stress level.

Try to think of something you are looking forward to.

Maybe it’s a trip to the zoo or a night out with girlfriends or a weekend getaway with your husband. Maybe it’s as simple as getting home from work, putting on your pjs, and reading a book [binge watching Netflix]. Whatever it is, set the countdown clock in your head and keep telling yourself that its only T-X hours until it’s over. Knowing there is an end in sight REALLY helps.

Exercise.

OK, I know what you are thinking: is she for real? Yes, I am totally serious! Taking a long walk (lunch hour), riding my bike to work (yes, people actually do that), or going for a long-ish run after the kids are in bed really helps me decompress and shake off the “bad” from the day. Everything you hear about endorphins is true. The worse the day, the longer I need to zone out and burn of steam.

I realize that these aren’t magic tricks, and that many of them are things you have heard before, but they bear repeating. It is easy to hideout and throw yourself a pity-party when things take a turn for the disastrous in your day, but instead of adding fuel to the fire, take a step back and push off that funk to reclaim it.

So mom, when you are having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, Alexander’s mother reminds him– and us– that “some days are just like that…even in Australia.” -Judith Viorst

How do you tackle a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?