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How I ruined my day without style
Today I had to be at my day job early, which of course meant Loopsy had to leave early too. It sucked I know this because she told me. What sucked more, however, was waking up late. That sucked big time.
I, however, became super dad and in less than 25 minutes I had a fully dressed fed and happy child ready to start her day. I, on the other hand, was dressed in yesterdays clothes with toothpaste in my beard and down my top. I needed coffee and fast.
What I didn’t need one little bit was to be unable to find my car keys, five minutes after I was supposed to of left. I clearly remembered leaving them on the kitchen side the night before, the dog must have eaten them, the jerk.
On the off chance that the dog wasn’t to blame I started checking all of the usual places. You know like the key hook, the fridge and all toy boxes which Loopsy has a habit of hiding them in when she is trying to convince me not to go to work. By this point, I was convinced that they must be lost, stolen or possibly both.
I asked Loopsy if she had them, she said ‘no Daddy’ and was super helpful by explaining to me that they should be in the last place they were. Although her logic was impeccable I was strangely unappreciative. Bloody kids.
Defeated
As I left the house through the side gate and we waited for our taxi I was not happy in the slightest. In fact I was irritated, I was angry and I was pissed off the day was not looking great in the slightest, I was going to get grief at work, my daughter was now in a strop because we’d had words and I was pretty sure I was going to come home to no car and a house that had been burgled, awesome.
When I did finally get to work I spent the day being clipped with everyone I met. From colleagues, the public and most ashamedly my lady. Now I’d like to point out I wasn’t particularly rude to anyone just short and un-engaging.
My naff day got worse when I got home. The three hours that I had planned to spend working on this was quickly consumed with activities like lifting the sofa and triple checking the fridge for my misplaced keys.
I needed to do some work, so I had to give up my angry hunting. I grabbed my laptop bag and you will never guess what was in the bottom!?
What exactly did you learn from this Gaz?
Weirdly apart from slight relief this just made me feel defeated. I’d wasted a whole day being entirely unproductive because of a very minor thing which was entirely my own fault.
There was no need for me to become angry and act like the petulant child over something that actually when I think about it was of absolutely no consequence.
Won’t be the first or the last time
This goes for both my keys, I lose them regularly as my lady will testify, but for acting like a fool over small things as well.
Big dramas controversy I can handle with ease, black plague, loss of limb, nuclear war its all gravy baby. Yet the dog demonstrating his love of eating my toilet roll will make me an emotional wreck.
A small selection of my favorite gripes
- Empty toilet roll left on the holder
- Odd socks
- Toilet roll put on the wrong way (underhand)
- having to break a twenty for gum
- realizing your phone hasn’t actually been charging overnight
- The dog eating said roll, especially if on the rare occasion there is any its been installed correctly
- When coffee tables and toes meet
- Actively procrastinating
- Reading the news, especially regarding Brexit
- Losing the tele remote
- Getting annoyed by inconsequential things
- And of course, losing my bloody keys
Yeah! But why?
Well this guardian post, has an interesting take on the topic. I myself have my own thoughts. I think the main reason that we as a species get worked up over small things that then go on to have an unnecessary impact on our lives, is due to the fact that we feel put upon.
I certainly feel bullied, and that an injustice has been done to me. Or to say it another way that, on occasion, I become a child when I things don’t go my own way.
Where will it all end?
Well in my experience, when I let things bother me that shouldn’t I usually end up shamefaced. As well as making promises to my self that usually start with ‘Next time what I’ll do is….’
This all works wonderfully. It fixes everything all of the time. That is of course until the next time, that life decides to pick on the petulant fat kid and then its revert to step one once again.
But seriously
Jokes aside for just a minute because this could become a serious matter. Say for instance that you kept letting the little things bother you. That you felt there was no reprieve, I bet it wouldn’t take to long for the cumulative effects to become apparent.
Stress can affect more than just mental health. Its physiological effects can include heart issues, obesity and hair loss among much more. Combine those physical ailments with being a miserable bugger at home, potentially leading to a worsening of your home environment and possibly relationship break downs. It’s easy to see why these little niggles could potentially become a vicious circle.
So maybe just maybe if you find yourself becoming bothered and overreacting to certain situations. Then maybe you should take just a few minutes to see if there is a way to address them.
I’m a self-professed idiot. I don’t go to the doctor when I should, I don’t read instructions and I certainly do not take any advice. If however you are a better man than I and are looking for a way to become less angry over the little things. Then this lifehacker post maybe of use to you~MG
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Previously published here and reprinted with the author’s permission.
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The post How Anger Can Ruin Your Life: If Only for One Day appeared first on The Good Men Project.