I think as parents we all tend to have bad moments which can turn into a day, or longer at times. As special needs parents, I think we work harder and in many ways, more quietly, to get all we need done. We don’t like to ask for help, we want to help others around us and so many times we feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.
In case you didn’t pick up on it, I have been in the midst of a “bad day” lasting over a week! It got me thinking about the benefits of a bad day. I will always try to turn a negative into a positive and although I was deep in my sulk, I had to try to learn from it.
This is what I got…
There will always be tough days and crazy moments. We will all have a bad day, or a rough spot.
I tend to be a really upbeat, happy and positive person. I try to give that to all in my life on a regular basis. I will work harder for you sometimes than for me. I really enjoy life and do wake up every day with gratitude. I am a multi-tasker- which I am sure many of you are as well, it just comes with parenting, right? Because of that skill, I think I tend to mask my own pain or sadness and just shift into auto pilot. Never really allowing myself to feel disappointment, sadness or pain.
Truth be told, there are days that just do not go according to plan. Second truth, it is OK to admit the day is not great. Third truth, we need a bad day every so often. Fourth truth, we learn from our bad day and are better from it.
Think about this, if we never had a bad day, never had a plan go off task- we would not be able to appreciate the calmer, better days. Understanding and working through the pain help us get to the place we are and to the places we are going.
We do NOT have to be strong all the time, we deserve to feel the pain. I know that sounds strange, but the pain is part of the process and, for me, I am a stronger and even better person for knowing how to hurt. In the “bad day” I have been in, I embraced my cry, I got an extra blanket and I let myself feel it all. That is how I can get to healing. No band aid to cover it.
Life, all of it, the good and the bad – makes me a better and more compassionate being.
I think some of the hardest moments will help to lead to our biggest breakthroughs.
There is a lesson for all of us in our “bad days”, it is waiting for us to find it. So, let’s not be afraid to have one!