The top 4 ways to turn your day around when you've had a sleepless night!

Have you ever woken up in the morning and know the day was going to go badly?

Have you ever had a night where you just could not sleep, and when you did sleep you had horrible dreams?  To say you aren't  ready to start your day would be an understatement! 

Over coffee I realized that this is an opportunity for me to practice fierce self-care and set myself up to still have a productive day.  How you ask?  Well, let me tell you.  :)

The first step was the realization of my mood.  Often, prior to doing mindfulness work, it would not show up on my radar that I was feeling less than optimistic about my day.  I would jump in, both feet to getting myself ready and out the door, my mindset frankly was the least of my worries.

But, in not being aware of my mental, physical, and emotional state, I would soon expect my usual output for the day.  Then, when I was not able to do that because of previously stated states of being, I would become incredibly short tempered, impatient, and demanding.  Heaven help that person on the other end of the line that wasn't giving me the help that I needed. 

Is this how you show up in your day when you have had a bad night?  Ring any bells with anyone?

Let me give you some concrete steps to help you the next time you are presented with this problem in your life.

1st - Own your mood.  Learn to recognize the things that go side-ways (the evidence) when you are at less than your peak physical and emotional state.  These things may be you feeling emotional over something small, you snapping at your partner or kids when you normally wouldn't, or even sighing a lot.  Once you become aware that something is off, then just accept it.  It takes mental energy to resist how you are feeling, and frankly we just discussed that you don't have that in great supply at the moment.  Ok, we are tired and grumpy, next!

2nd - Take the time to assess what needs to be done today.  Wait, what??  Most people skip this step even on a good day, but we won't get into that here.  The magic is you taking stock as to what your day looks like.  I encourage you to get VERY real here.  Often I make a huge list and then promptly get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things that need to be done.  Go ahead, make the list but then, go through every item and ask, "does this truly NEED to be done today?".  You see, when you are feeling tired, you are not going to be doing your best work so you want to put those things on the list that you can do easily and well.  Leave the hard stuff for another day when you are back at full steam. 

Great, we now have a achievable list of what we need to get done today.  So now, plan your day with a gentle hand.  What do I mean by that?  We have already agreed that you are not at your best, so if you then charge into your day expecting your best out of yourself, you are soon going to be frustrated with yourself and others.   Perhaps the word gentle puts some of you off, but so what.  There is nothing wrong with honoring that you are not at your best through frankly no fault of your own.  Why not take good care of yourself???  What would you do if this was your child?  Would you expect them to be well behaved and do all of their chores perfectly?  No, you would be gentle with them.  Do you see the picture?

And lastly, take those around you into your confidence.  This exact scenario recently happened to me.  The first thing I did after I realized my mental state was to tell my husband.  I wanted him to know that I was aware I was tired, and that I would do my best to not take it out on him.  This not only gives him a head's up, but it also allows him to support me in my day, and extend an extra measure of grace if I was short with him.  I encourage you to do this with your staff as well.  First, it encourages authenticity in your work space because life happens to us all doesn't it?  But, similarly to what I achieved with my husband, it gives them the opportunity to come aside you and support you. 

Bad days happen.  I encourage you to use these steps the next time you find yourself tired, stressed, or overwhelmed.  They will serve you.

Do you want more tips on how to live a more intentional life?  Follow me on Facebook or Instagram, or signup for my newsletter.