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When I am having a tough day I try to stay positive with two of my "go to" strategies... humor and gratitude.
Humor: One of my favorite ways to incorporate humor is by watching funny animal videos on youtube. When I don't feel like laughing, this will always give me a chuckle. My dog, Bella, likes watching them too!
Gratitude: I try to think of all of the things I have to be grateful for in that moment, no matter how small it may seem. Once I think of one or two things, my mind builds momentum and starts to think of more. This works especially well when I make it into a game. For example: List as many things as you can think of that you are grateful for in the next 2 minutes.... ready... set.... go!
Replies to "When I am having a tough day I try to stay positive with two of my..."
Amy, I try to focus on gratitude and use breathing techniques. (Thank you Mindfulness in Medicine!) Long walks and a good nap can work wonders too.
As for dealing with teenagers, I'm still working on adding more techniques to my toolkit. Over and over in my head, I recite, "Do not engage! Do not engage! Do not engage!" and remind myself of all the reasons he is loved so much, and that this is just part of learning and growing. These traits will develop and serve him well as an adult.
Animals are a great mood booster- one of my favorites is a compilation of people doing yoga and their animals are either climbing on them or doing silly things with them! One thing that always puts a smile on my face is watching laughing baby videos... you just can't help but burst out laughing too!