Turning it Around

Have you ever been in a bad mood for no apparent reason?  Everything is fine, the weather,  your plans for the day but you are just in a funk.  And then it spreads.  The next thing you know you are short with your husband, children, person at the coffee shop.  Or it happens to you.  You're in a fine mood and then - boom -  someone for no reason is rude.  Cuts you off in traffic, snaps at you when you ask a simple question.  

Of course you have.  It happens to all of us and no one is perfect with their interactions with others.  It is human nature.  My husband and I have tried really hard though to make our home neutral territory.  Naturally we have disagreements and get frustrated with each other.  But we do our best to resolve things civilly and quickly.  What we have really tried to do though in our home is to create a space for us and the kids to come to and decompress from the outside world.  

We have a saying when tension builds in our house - Let's turn it around.  

That statement gives all of us pause in my family to refocus.  No single situation is going to last forever.  And our attitude is what makes it seem pleasant or unpleasant.  If my kids are getting short with each other or with me while we are getting ready for school or to head out I will quickly say - Let's turn it around and 99% of the time the overall mood improves.  It is as though we are wiping away the feelings from the previous few minutes and starting again with a clean slate.

What is interesting to me is that my kids will say it to my husband and I when we seem frustrated.  That is a moment that causes me to pause.  First because I can see how my mood affects them and secondly those four words have made a difference to them.  They now apply the idea of hitting reset and starting the day from that point and share it with others.  We can have bad moments in a day, but the idea of turning things around prevents the feeling of one bad moment leading to a series of bad moments creating an entire bad day.  

I'm not saying that it will guarantee that you will always have sunshine and roses if you try the turn around concept.  But it may give you temporary pause to reconsider how your current mood affects your overall outlook.