Red Flags

I really enjoy this time of year but sometimes at work and at home things can start to pile up and suddenly some small thing breaks the camel's back. The good news is that I have learned to recognize these moments for exactly what they are - red flags! Red flags show up in the form of snapping at an employee for not making enough copies, getting frustrated with the little old lady chatting with the check out clerk or yelling at your kids for not hanging up their coats. These everyday occurrences usually don't even ruffle me at all but when they do, I know it is time to dis-engage for about 20 minutes. I need to change my "state" both physically and emotionally. I do this by either taking a walk or sitting in a quiet place. I then start doing a little bit of self talk and ask myself what is it that is truly affecting my mood? I have learned that if I ask myself this question and pay attention to the first few things that come into my head that 99% of the time these are really the things that need to be addressed. I then take a few minutes to do some deep breathing to release any tension in my body. Then I take some time and think about how I can change how these items affect my mood. At the end, I simply just be quiet and take in my surroundings and focus on getting centered again. This whole process only takes me about 20 minutes but I always feel refreshed and have a new perspective on my day. I have learned to not ignore those little red flags when they pop up as they can turn into flying bricks and really do some damage.