- lost my temper with my older son because he just WOULD NOT GET READY;
- grabbed and got in the face of (and in the process, terrified) my younger one when he kicked me repeatedly instead of lying down for bed;
- generally spent the rest of the night in a crappy mood.
Does running keep me a happy mommy? Hard to say, since I don't actually enjoy it while I'm doing it. Does it release some of the stress from recent changes in my life? Probably.
Today I do my first four-mile run. No doubt I'll return home panting, sweating and once again cursing the hills that surround my neighborhood.
But I'll also return ready to face a day full of toddler hat parades, kindergarten egg hunts and possibly a loud visit to a local pizza place for dinner.
Bring it on.
Ab-so-freakin-lutely! Running encourages sanity. Or at least - in my case - it keeps the level of crazies down. Lately (and I'm not sure if it's counter-productive to releasing mommy-angst) I enjoy listening to the Manic Mommies podcast while running. They have some crazy boys on their hands that I relate to. You might like them.
ReplyDeleteCindy, when I'm having a bad day I go outside and look around at the woods, the brook that runs through my neighborhood and the ducks and birds that live around us. This helps center me. I also call my mother and talk to her on the telephone. She is my life-support. When I am especially stressed I work out for 30 minutes on the treadmill. (I try to work out once or twice a week.) This helps me cope. Yesterday morning I screamed at Jack when he refused to get dressed and Mark and I were running late. I told him that I was "sick of your shit." And I hated myself afterwards for cracking like that. I could see the look of surprise and fear on his face and I wanted to die. When things are stressful at home and at work I lose my resilience, as I expect you are too. (I'm not laid off but I have another new immediate boss on the marketing side so I have to prove myself yet again.) And you are still a journalist. Look at how you are writing on this blog! It's WONDERFUL.
ReplyDeleteJane D