Natural Points In Your Day To Hit The Reset Button
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Have you ever noticed that there are some days where you just wish you could push a button and redo the whole day?
I know I have! Especially now that I have young kids. But even back in my seemingly blissful easy days of singleness, I found there were days I wanted to just start over!
Days get filled with bad attitudes.
Poor decisions were made.
Patient responses were lacking.
Chaos is happening all around you…and you just want it to STOP!!
The Need For Shifting Seasons
Growing up, I lived in an area that experienced all four seasons of the year to their extremes. We become desert-hot in the daytime during the summer, yet we shoveled several feet of snow every winter. In the spring months, we experienced the new growth and life all around us on the farm. And come the fall, you could guarantee we would be spending days cleaning up piles of leaves and clearing our garden beds of the dying vines from summer.
You know the best part about those shifting seasons?
The change of seasons gave us a chance to start over fresh.
I needed a new look at life again.
My body craved that change of pace.
The Need For Shifts In Our Day
Now that I am an adult dealing with young toddlers, I not only appreciate the change of seasons but even subtle shifts that happen as we go through our day.
Why?
Well, perhaps yesterday wasn’t a great day for one of my kids. Today is a new day.
Perhaps my child struggled with sitting through a meal at lunch but nap time follows lunch so there is a chance to change the trajectory of the day.
Lately, I have found that God helps me leverage these natural points in the day to bring about positive changes in our home life.
Natural Points In The Day To Push The Reset Button
Let’s take a closer look at some potential times in your day when you can help yourself and your family hit the reset button.
Early Morning
For those of us with kids who keep us up half the night, some times I find that early morning is just the time to reset the day.
Currently, I am trying to make it a point that when I first see my kids each morning, I greet them with a large smile and cheery, “Good morning!” Even if I was awake and saw them 27 times last night and I am not feeling the “good” part of the morning yet.
Often my kids will somehow take the cue that this is a new day and it helps us to start the day by pressing that reset button.
So take a few moments in the early morning. Maybe read your Bible passage for the day. Use the bathroom by yourself and brush your hair. Pray that God gives you the energy that you need to face what the day brings. Drink a glass of water. Read a devotional. (My personal favorite is this one
Anything to help set a positive tone for your new day!
Meal Time
“Hangry” is a very real emotion in our home. I can often blame a down day on our poor diet.
Perhaps we ate a light breakfast or didn’t have a healthy meal or snack. All of the sudden, out of no where, everyone is cranky and making me wish the day was over!
Instead, I try to intentionally feed them a solid meal. Many times after we have eaten a healthy, filling meal, I can breath a sigh of relief as I watch everyone return to more normal frames of mind.
As humans, we need fuel to help us function well. Let’s not try to deny this fact! 🙂
Nap Time
My kids are scheduled creatures. This past week we spent a day away from home which entirely changed their whole routine.
Upon waking up the next morning, I discovered that my precious babies had been replaced with exhausted monsters unwilling to move without throwing a fit about something.
After a stressful morning that left me frazzled in more ways than one, I was relieved to get them down for naps.
Thankfully, once they sensed their scheduled rest time was back to normal, they calmed down considerably. And after an extra long, relaxing nap/rest period, they were at least able to cope with the day in a reasonable manner. And by reasonable, I mean I didn’t want to run away to Tahiti by myself. 🙂
Again, our human bodies have some basic needs including rest. If you sense that yourself or your family is lacking sleep, try to find ways to let natural slow points in the day fulfill this need.
Devotional Time
If Jesus (a single man without kids!) needed to get away from His ministry demands to pray and be alone with God on a daily basis, then we can be sure that we need that too!
Find a time to carve out to help you get back in the Word of God and to pray. Currently, my schedule usually means that my older child joins me on the couch while I do my devotional. While it is not as relaxing as doing things fully by myself, I do find it to be exceptionally helpful in resetting my own sour moods for the day.
Refresh your soul with a time of communication with God. Get His mind for your day and situation. You are not alone and once you can be reassured of that, you will be surprised how much easier dealing with a difficult day can be!
Bed Time
Finally, there is always bedtime. Eventually, your child will sleep. You will sleep too. There will be an end to the roughest of your days. Lean on God to help you through the chaos and trauma of the day. Then let bedtime help you and your family reset the tone for the next day.
Before you fall asleep, write in a journal. Pour out your heart to God. Scream and vent on the pages of a diary. Just get those thoughts out of your head. Finally, pray and ask God to help you to sleep and be refreshed for the next day. If you have Bible verses memorized, fall asleep reciting them to yourself. Anything to help you renew your mind on Christ and refresh you for the new day that will come.
Your Turn
What are some natural points in your day that you can help yourself and your family shift the trajectory of the day?
Share some of your favorite tips to help you “reset” on a particularly challenging day at your home?
Thanks for stopping by!
