Your mood can have a lot to do with your health. It can lower metabolism, negatively effect eating habits, and make it hard to be motivated to exercise or do much of anything that is good for you. It can also boost self-confidence, boost metabolism, boost productivity, and boost motivation.
Being a parent, I have a lot on my mind. There are things pulling for my attention everywhere I turn. Much of it is out of my control. In fact, I feel it is important to realize that there are few things we are actually in control of. Too often people get frustrated at all the things that they don't have control over, that they forget to take control over the things they DO have control over. Wow, that was a mouthful! (:
This can actually be pretty hard, and it's easy to not notice that you are allowing yourself to stress, be drained by, or provoked by something out of your control. Once you notice though, begin what I have deemed the title, "PROJECT SUNSET"
I am calling the following "Project Sunset" due to my experience today, and ...well... many days in my life.
The Story behind Project Sunset
I was raised to love camping, hiking, and anything nature. So it wasn't any surprise that as I became a teenager, I turned to nature for sanity.
Teen years can be hefty, full of school work pressure, peer pressure, work pressure, physical pressure, all kinds of exhaustion. Anyone that knew me then has probably labeled me for life as the girl to tries to do too much at one time and runs around like a chicken with it's head chopped off!
However, I had three different gettaways when I needed to clear my mind: piano, running/athletics, and sunsets/rises.
I never or at least rarely missed a sunset in the summer from about 5th grade on.
My bedroom was on a second story over the first story roof. So I could just climb out my window, walk over to the top of our garage and get a great view of the sunset. Due to all the trees in WI, a rooftop was nice to have access to.
Sunsets speak to me; They remind me of who REALLY is in charge in life. Something that beautiful isn't just some scientific accident; grass, nature, all of it; proof of a living God. Comforting.
BUUUUT, lets get to what happened today, that inspired me to name Project Sunrise, " Project Sunrise". Today wasn't the easiest day. I had plenty to complain about, but I like to think I am a roll-with-the-punches kinda gal. Still, we all have "buttons" we can get pushed. Well, without I don't want to tell you all about why or how I got to a point of which I wanted to cry. But I will tell you what I did to try to get out of my slump.
1. Excused myself to my room and allowed myself to let some tears out,
2. Pray
3. Called someone who could make me laugh or laugh with me (and ask for help--in my case, just to sound happy on the other end was all I needed)
4. GO OUTSIDE, get some sun if I can find it.
5 .....
Where does Sunset come it? Well, I did step #5-exercise.
Now I had three kids at home and I really needed to get outside, so my exercise was not any that would burn calories, but it could lift my spirits and energy level. I told the girls that we were all going for a family bike ride. "Hurray" they all were so excited. We got all ready and we took 20 minutes just to get down the street and around the corner. Why? Well, lets just say that one of my children gets PRETTY upset by another child of mine. Well, it actually goes both ways between them, but one of them has a MUCH harder time calming herself down.
So my little attempt for a relaxing yet invigorating bike ride, was turning into crying, screaming, and squabbling. Though I was tempted to run away and hide out of frustration, I took it in stride. Hurray me, BUT further on in the bike ride, that same uncalmable child was finding something else to be agitated about.
I was riding down a path thinking, "Well... it was worth a try at least, too bad it wasn't working."I was feeling that if I didn't know better, and was less mature, I would label the whole day terrible, exhausting, and overwhelming. But almost in that same moment of those thoughts, I looked up.
Yep, the sunset. All my worries, frustrations, and cares left for that short moment. The Sunrise welcomed me like an old friend, embraced me like a mother to her child, and came to my rescue as...well...God often does.
I found myself flash backing to when I was a teenager, when I searched for moments like these everyday. I took every opportunity I could. I continued that habit throughout collage. It was how I mentally survived life. I shook off the unneeded weight, and enjoyed what was right in front of me.
Does that mean that I only had more moments like that in the past because I wasn't married and didn't have children? No. I have allowed myself to be distracted with so much that I forget to stop and see the obvious, and rejoice in it.
Project Sunset is when you stop, look, and listen. Stop the overload of negative and stressful thoughts, look for things that are a blessing right around you and a peaceful experience, listen to the positive thoughts; overall, enjoy the here and now.
Thank you Project Sunset for keeping me from curling up into a fetal position with an armful of chocolates, cheese, and chips. And filling my senses with good sense to take on the rest of the evening happily and full of love.
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