You Win Some, You Lose Some

Today, I was excited to get up because I had a really cute outfit for work planned.  This was a really good way to start the day, but it wasn't the best day for me.  I felt like I really needed to stop myself, like I was acting not like my best self even as I was so inspired by the inauguration last night.  I felt like I was talking too much, not listening enough, and just in general being much more obnoxious than I normally am... I felt like the things I should have said, I didn't, and I said a few things that definitely didn't need to be said.  I did have one really good conversation that I needed to have to prove to myself that the maturity and grace I've felt recently are for real.  I was taking some cold medicine that kind of gives you that jittery feeling, but still I came home feeling disappointed in myself that I wasn't being my best self today.

So I needed to come up with a plan that I felt would allow me to get myself out of a day I felt like this so that I didn't come home feeling like this again.

Here is my start:

1)  Gauge myself more and notice how I am feeling.

2)  If I'm feeling too overly hyper like I was today, deliberately make a choice to not be around people as much unless I have to (don't go to the lunchroom for lunch, etc.).

3)  Try to do either a menial task that calms me down, do a little cleaning, or even just jot down that feeling and how it is affecting me.  Read a magazine or book for a few minutes or take a few deep breaths.

4)  Find and look at a picture that puts me in that mood I want-- calm and serene.  

5)  Think about my overall self and how I want to act in a given situation to build myself up.

I know it wasn't that bad, and that everyone has their off days, but I know by how I felt today that I just don't want to feel like this again...  like I was letting my mood or feeling dictate how I acted instead of the other way around.  It's hard to realize that you have to stop yourself sooner rather than later so you don't act in a way that really doesn't represent the person who you want to be.  I want my list to just serve as a guide to help me "put the brakes on" that type of mood... a simple way to monitor my behavior so that I can stay calm and collected.