Three Easy Ways to Not Self-Sabotage

This weekend has seen some emotional highs and lows in my house; some of them from me, others from Caleb, and still more from the children. I suppose you could say that it's a normal Saturday and Sunday at the Flanagan house. And let me assure you that the highs have outnumbered the lows.

But the lows have been extremely low. When you're feeling down, it is easy to slide back into bad habits you've broken or subconsciously tear down all of the good work you have done. A person's mentality can drift into negative thoughts, their diet can find itself comprised of pizza and donuts, or their relationships can become distant.

I am all about getting help if you think you might have a mental or hormonal disorder, but sometimes you just have an off day. And instead of ripping your life up to shreds during that 24 hours or so, here are some tips to focus that negative energy.


Get Your Chick Flick On
Delving into a fictional world where a girl would choose Topher Grace over Josh Duhamel, a call-in radio show will bring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together, and John Cusack builds boats and dates online can make you feel so good. Even if your woes are romantically related, you can buy into the idea of love for a few hours.

Take the Day Off From the Internet
The internet has a way of enabling our worst habits. Are you a retail therapy kind of person? You can shop 24 hours a day! Will you find yourself browsing the profiles of ex-boyfriends? Here are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and the Google search bar. Know a message board where someone has talked smack about you? Make a new username so you can agree with all of the terrible things said about you.

Or you can unplug and fill your day with reading, writing, outdoor hiking, or a full day at the gym. Each one of these can transport you to a different world and give you time to cool down from your bad day.

Eat A Treat (Responsibly)
Some people just have to eat to pep up. My husband will become grouchy if he doesn't eat, so sometimes what he consumes doesn't even have to be sugary! If you have eaten and you still feel yucky, then choose something you love and eat it in moderation. For me, this weekend, it has been ice cream. I am aware of every bite I eat—a spoonful of sugar makes the bad mojo go down.


So, to all of those exes I have stalked and those cinnamon rolls I have eaten, I hope you can see why I can't come back to you just because I am having a rough time. Even though I love you all so, so, so much, I just can't. And I especially mean you, cinnamon rolls.