Yesterday I finally got the baby down for a nap after he had refused to sleep for hours.  I was so excited to relax, eat some lunch, and check my email when I knocked something over.  The next thing I knew I was bleeding, I spilled my drink, and the baby was awake...  

And I still hadn't eaten...  

And the baby refused to go back to sleep...

And I was pissed!

I thought about how I shouldn't be upset because in the grand scheme of life it was no big deal.  It was just annoying.  Was it worth ruining my day over?

I strive to find inner peace no matter what life throws at me.  I definitely don't want to let things that are no big deal ruin my mood, but sometimes despite all of that, inconveniences and frustrations chip away at my peace.  It's called being human.

Feelings are part of the human experience, and they're not a bad thing.  We are allowed to get angry sometimes.  We are allowed to be upset.  We are allowed to be frustrated even over stupid things sometimes!

So what did I do?  I asked my husband to watch the baby, and I took a shower.  Truthfully, I chose a shower over yoga because my mom hair was really in need of a washing (dry shampoo can only do so much!).  Instead of telling myself how I should or shouldn't feel I breathed.  Five minutes later I wasn't upset anymore.  I got dressed, went upstairs, and apologized to my family for being grumpy.  

It wasn't worth ruining my day over, but not because I "should't" allow it to ruin my day.  Placing demands on how we should feel, and dismissing our emotions doesn't resolve anything.  Telling ourselves that we should be above getting upset, and that it's awful if we lose our peace is counterproductive.  Those rigid demands only feed negativity.  Break the cycle by coming back to the present.

Check in with yourself... The next time you find yourself wearing your grumpy pants, try not to prolong it by shoulding on yourself.  It's okay! Allow yourself to just be.  Breathe deeply, and connect with the present moment.  You might be surprised by how quickly that bad mood passes!

Let me know how it goes.