Note: Smiles are free. Give them away whenever you can. One smile can change your day (perfect example below. . .)
Do you notice when you spend too much time at home you get cranky? If you’re home with little ones, you know what I mean. It just you and the tots and no adult conversation. It’s easy to get stuck in your own head and get a little crazy. I go through this all the time. I call it Cranky Sara Syndrome (CSS). I spend hours in front of the computer blogging and working. Just me in my little bubble. I notice routinely how if I’m at all cranky, being by myself makes it so much worse. I can build the smallest thing into something huge in my head. I can turn the smallest worry into a full blown panic attack. My head gets in my way all the time.
Honestly, my best way to deal with this is through exercise. Nothing like a few endorphins to calm me down, mellow me out and remind me that I am truly blessed. My worries are minimal compared to many people. I hope that you use exercise that way too. I’m telling you exercise is my anti-depressant and my mood stabilizer. It makes all the difference in how I handle my head and my CSS.
The other way I combat Cranky Sara Syndrome is through getting out of the house. There are times I must remove myself from my environment to change my head space. I highly recommend this strategy. Get out and interact with the world. Go make yourself smile at a few people at the grocery store. I know it sounds ridiculous, but sometime faking it makes it real. I dare ya to try it.
I had a crazy experience a couple days ago. I met a fellow trainer to talk about business building. She’s just getting started and wanted a few pointers. I love to help other trainers. There is so much to learn when you’re new. So, we met at a little coffee shop to chat. Great excuse to get out of the house and help someone else. So we’re chatting away and Dave Matthews walks over to our table. Yup, as in Dave Matthews Band. A little back story – Dave (yes, we’re on first name basis) used to workout where I worked. We crossed paths regularly and got to talking every now and then. I would smile at him when he came into the weight room. I’d ask him about his kids (the fastest way to make friends with anyone, right?!) So we got to know each other a bit. So today, 5 years later, he comes up to me in a coffee shop and says hi, asks me how I’m doing. Pretty much I just tried not to pee my pants. We talked about his new gym, a bit about his kids and their swim lessons. Good times. The trainer I was with was dying – but kept her cool.
So I drove home thinking about why Dave Matthews would take time out of his day to talk to me. I mean the guy has a world wide network of family/friends/fans. I really think it comes down to this: early on when we started crossing paths at the gym, I always smiled and said hi, like I did to all our members. I treated him like he was just a regular person. I was warm, friendly, personable (but not creepy/intrusive). The next time you’re out and about, notice how many people smile at you. Notice how many people you smile at. You’ll notice we live in a pretty cold world. But if you break the ice with a smile and a hello, people let you in. When people let you in it can completely change your day and your outlook.
Your homework: next time your feeling like a cranky pants mom, go smile at a few people and report back to me. I bet it will change your whole day. Maybe Dave Matthews will end up making small talk with you.
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