Glass half full or half empty? Personally, I tend to go with the glass half full approach, trying to see the best in every situation. You know, all that when life gives you lemons stuff? Yup! When life throws a spanner in the works, for instance being stuck on a crowded train on the way to work, I see the plus side – having an extra 45 minutes to finish reading my book. Getting in a grump, huffing and puffing with the rest of the carriage was of course an option, but I’m not a sheep and getting in a grump over something you have no control over is a waste of time and energy.
There are times when not even a positive attitude seems to fix my day and on those occasions when not even the thought of a bowl of ice cream or a cheeky mid-week takeaway can turn that lemon into something satisfying, I tend to call it quits on the day, recognise that I can’t win EVERY battle and just go to bed early, ready to fight the next day with a smile and a positive attitude.
I’m basically like the mum from Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (out on Friday 24th October, in time for half term! – read my review here) Nope, I don’t look like Jennifer Garner, but I share the positive vibes of her character, Kelly Cooper, the mother to Alexander. Totally taking things on the chin and trying to see the best in every situation, even when things start to go horribly wrong. This Disney offering really resonated with me and I found myself getting a little bit emotional. I’m going through a lot at the moment, in fact I can’t remember when ‘a lot’ began, nor can I see a the trees through all of the negative fog, but I really believe that whilst you can’t always control the situations you find yourself in, you have complete control over how you react to them. This seems to be the message shared in this film too.
Now, when things go wrong, say we miss a bus, break a glass or deal with umpteen tantrums in one day, Princess and I can 1) be happy that our day pales in comparison to the bad day Alexander’s family had in the film and 2) remind ourselves that you can turn EVERY bad day into a good one with a little bit of perspective. And ice cream. When perspective doesn’t work, ice cream will…
What do you do when you’re having a bad day? Do you have a particular coping mechanism? A film or song that gets you out of a slump or do you let it wash over you and hope that the next day will be better? As always I love to hear your views!
