Saturday, October 24, 2009

Day 3: 20 Day Commitment to Becoming a More Mindful Mother

Day 3's focus is on being Positive. I woke up grouchy this morning, did not have a good night so today is the perfect day to practice being positive.

I have noticed that if my son's day starts out in a positive light i.e. someone smiles at him the moment he opens his eyes he has a better day. There are less outbursts, less tears, more smiles and more giggles. This is true for all of us but sometimes my days start with a screaming or whining child and it is up to me to keep a positive outlook. My attitude is reflected in my children. I see this every day. If I am grumpy or short with my kids they are grumpy and tearful right back.

What kind of negative person am I? I would like to say I do not have a type and am always positive but this is not so. I guess my classification would be the Woe-is-me type. I often lump all the bad things that are happening together and occasionally feel sorry for myself about all the irritating, terrible things that have happened that day. However, I can say that I often catch myself doing this and turn it around. I really make an effort to make sure that if I am doing this when I am talking about my children I find something positive to say about the so-called negative attributes of the moment. I DO NOT want to be one of those mothers that is always so: woe is me parenting is so hard and my children are so bad. THEY ARE NOT! They are beautiful wonderful, joyful beings and it is my responsibility to bring them joy every day. This, for me, means seeing the joy in the little things. For example getting my daughters diaper changed tear free or my son tells me all about his day at preschool. Life is not perfect but there are good and wonderful aspects throughout every day.

I have been in a bit of a negative slump lately. I am a homebody but I crave interaction with people. It seems like an oxymoron but it's not. I need to connect with people I just like to do it on my own terms and in small groups. I need to get out. This may mean stepping out of my comfort zone but I know that this is what I need to do to get out of the rut that I am in. Any suggestions?

I used to think that all I needed to be happy was my little nuclear family and enough money to sustain us. This is not true. I need friends, a career outside of the home, more education to get to the career goals I am striving for, exersise, sex, SLEEP and creative outlets. However even with all these things I could still be unhappy if I do not make an effort to see joy and positivity in my daily life. The monotony can get me down but if I change my perspective there will be something every day to lift me up. Even if something happens and I cannot have all of these things that I feel are essential to my happiness I can still make the CHOICE to be happy and positive.

My goals for day 3 :
1.Turn a negative situation into a positive one.
2. Lift someone up that's feeling down.

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