Having one of those weeks?
Last week was one of those weeks. It was a week when nothing felt easy. I was feeling twangy and jangly and out of tune. I felt cranky and a little pissed off with the world. I don’t like it when I feel that way and often state “I don’t even want to be around me” when I am feeling that way.
As I talked to friends and clients, I discovered that a lot of us were having one of those weeks. As we explored how to cope with feeling this way, a few commonalities emerged.
A sense of humor is an essential coping skill. As one client shared “I feel like all I have done all day is make lemonade. Every time I turn around someone else is handing me a lemon. And I’m all out of sugar.” Joking about his day made us laugh and changed our attitude towards the frustrations of the day. I also made the choice to watch a comedy film instead of a more serious movie that night.
A safe and fun physical outlet is another key coping skill. Thankfully I had my Nia classes. I REALLY enjoyed punching and kicking as part of the choreography last week. By having a safe place to focus and release my frustration, I was able to change my internal state. I was able to shift from feeling jangly and out of tune to feeling more harmonious. So whether you dance, walk, run or bike, use that frustration to focus your physical energy when you need to release some frustration.
Music is another coping mechanism that came up. (Music may be part of working out) But music alone can be helpful in changing our internal state. Some people need angry music that matches and releases feelings. (I personally like to indulge in some Nine Inch Nails at those times.) Other people may want to play soothing or harmonious music to change and shift their emotions.
Now did any of these coping mechanisms change the fact that I had one of those weeks? No. But they did help minimize the impact of my frustrating week. I did not stay in that jangly, twangy and out of tune space for very long. Along the way I had some good laughs, great workouts, and listened to some wonderful music. That sounds like a pretty good week to me after all.
