Patience on a Monday Morning

Monday morning slapped me upside the head today.  My bitter enemies were waiting at my door [fatigue, grogginess and a lack of planning].  It's rainy and dreary outside.  The chore list is long, Silas is grumpy and all I want to do is curl up in a blanket and eat chocolate and drink wine.  

But I can't.  Because it's Monday and Monday means that Jason is back to work and I'm stuck with no plans but to survive the indoors with foul smelling laundry, sick kids, and a pile of dishes.

It becomes quickly apparent that I woke up without any patience.  Does this ever happen to you?  I want to know who is barging into my emotional tank and emptying it of patience before I even wake up?  That's just downright unfair.

Repetitive toddler questions rip at at my stretched thin limits and the slightest whine feels like an ice ax against my brittle endurance.  I feel like I'm staring at the Mount Everest of motherhood and expected to conquer all the elements on my ascent.  Patience is the prize at the top and I'm hardly two feet up and already deprived of oxygen.

I can't seem to maintain any semblance of self control as an emotional eruption starts working its way from my heart to my face and then to my voice...

Pause.

Stop self, just stop.  I'm worse than my 3 year old.  I'm obviously not coping today and I need help.

So I'm making a list.  I need a 'go to list' of things to do to get me out of my emotional toddlerhood and rise above Monday circumstances.  So help me God I'm gonna get me some patience.

My patience resurrection list:

1. Get outside
Fresh air cures most things for me. Unfortunately it also means that we have to do the 'getting' part of going outside which is usually a very big hurdle of frustration before we get to the joy of being outdoors.

2. Put on some praise music and thank God.
I find it awfully hard to sing praises and be impatient and frustrated at the same time.

3. Sit down for a moment, eat something, go pee, or drink some water. 
It's amazing to me how so many of these little forms of self care get neglected and feed my lack of emotional energy.

4. Enjoy small things.
Stop and look at things like Toby's sweet cheeks, the way a rain drop slides down the window, the way the wind moves the trees, the silence of no kitchen renovations...and marvel a little bit.  Appreciate, and therefore be inspired.  Or even, God forbid, let Silas walk slowly and try to enjoy dawdling. {Not sure if this is physically possible for me}

5. Call someone.
Moms- we gotta stick together.  Sometimes, actually a lot of the time, my social need dictates my emotional capacity.  When I have friends or family around I am restored, revived, and energized in more than ways than I can count.  10 minutes of adult time will take me many more miles on my own.

6. Write.
An outlet, a way for me to reflect on myself, a way to cope.

7. Dora the Explorer.
Bless her heart, I'd adopt her if I could.  She wins Silas' attention and wins me some precious moments to sit and get my head on straight.

8. Pray. Read the Bible.
I find this hard because unless the kids are asleep or in quiet time, I don't have the focus I would like to have in reading or praying.  However, when they go to bed, this should be my first go to for strength and energy.

9. Go somewhere, ANYWHERE.
I just need to get out.  Every day.  Sometimes the walls of my home trap me and if I just get out I feel a lot more sane.

10. Go to bed.
Everyone.  When all else fails, all persons in my home just need to go to their beds and we all just need to press the restart button.

And if nothing works, hold on tight and wait until tomorrow.  Praise God for the mercies awaiting me on Tuesday.

What are your go-to's for restoring lost patience on a Monday morning?