Tightly Wound Today

I’m aggravated. Today was A MONDAY at work, and the boss was aggravated, making everyone else aggravated. And I keep spelling aggravated wrong… seriously. It has been A. DAY. I am so glad it is almost over.

So how do you let go when you get wound up? It’s not fair to your family to sit and seethe all evening long. The whole reason we work is so that we can support our families, but if we don’t also get to enjoy them, it isn’t worth it.

Here are some things that work for me:

Breathe. You think you are, but you’re not. You are taking little tiny shallow breaths that don’t even come close to filling up your lung capacity. Try it. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Amazing how much better you feel, huh? Our brains need oxygen, and they feel better when they are getting a good and steady supply. Those tiny little breaths we slip into just don’t cut it.
Take a moment to un-clench. Many, many times when I do this, I can only imagine what I looked like before taking deep breaths and un-clenching – my shoulders must have been up around my ears! No wonder I get killer shoulder/neck/headaches… I read somewhere to think of yourself as an unwinding spool of thread when you want to unwind – go figure! Try it. It works for me.
Laugh. Go back and look at the photos you’ve taken with your phone, go to a funny website that has been proven to make you laugh out loud (damnyouautocorrect or cakewrecks work for me!), or watch something light and funny like AFV (America’s Funniest Home Videos). After you’ve been giggling for a bit, you will find yourself naturally breathing deeper and un-clenching, i.e. letting go of the stress.
Treat yourself well. Tell yourself it’s OK to be aggravated (nope, still spelled it wrong) or stressed, but that whatever’s on your mind can wait until you get back to work (or the aggravating situation). And then eat a piece of chocolate, give yourself a mini-hand massage, or close the door and be by yourself for a few minutes (always a treat in my house!). You work hard, and you deserve to be rewarded for it.
Talk about it with your spouse or a good friend. Getting support from the people who mean the most to you will take the sting out of your stress, I promise. But don’t dwell on it. Let it out, and let it go.

These are already helping me, tonight. What works for you? Let us know in the comments.