Life, Law, and a Library

because let’s be honest… very few days are easy…

While I had other intentions for my blog this week (I swear a book review is coming), I had an insanely stressful week and my Friday morning ended with tears in my car… so I decided to switch gears.

It was a typical morning, with waking up, getting the boys ready and packing lunches. I should have known it would be “one of those days” when despite me having almost everything ready 30 minutes before we are supposed to leave… we are still five minutes late out the door.

Fast forward to work, when I have a day of being pulled in multiple directions, people being in their own moods for whatever the reason, and my hands feeling more than tied… I had had enough. So what was a girl on the verge of overwhelmed-tears in an office full of people to do??? I grabbed my keys and my stuff and walked to my car.

After sitting in the driver’s seat for about 15 seconds, letting out one yell, I decided F this… it is time for Starbucks and to start over. I went to Starbucks and treated myself to a yummy coffee (definitely recommend the Pistachio Cream Cold Brew) and blasted some feel good music on my way back to the office.

When I got back to my office I sat at my desk and started writing this blog, to think about how I can make my own day better and to give you a few ideas on what to do when your day has gone to crap but you still have to be a badass and get shit done. Here are my top 5–

1. Leave and recharge with Starbucks (or a place that you consider a treat). Sometimes a change of scenery can really change your perspective and just let you breathe without people needing things from you. Also, getting in your car or going outside allows you to let out a yell/cry/curse without being asked “are you okay?” — which for me rarely ends in a short conversation.
2. Reach out to my tribe. I am incredibly blessed to have so many people in my tribe– a quick text to my girlfriends “I am having a bad day, make me laugh” results in funny stories, TikTok videos, and memes. My husband is also a huge section of my tribe and while he is a fixer by nature and sometimes gives unwanted advice (which if I am being honest is not always met with understanding or me being nice), coming home to his amazing hugs is always amazing medicine for a bad day.
3. Talk to my mentor (yes I am blessed to have her). At my office we are assigned mentors– and I have definitely lucked out. One of my mentors works for the same partners I do and we both have kids the same age. She generally knows when I am upset and we constantly remind each other– this is a stage, you are an amazing lawyer, and drinks after work are great way to turn around a bad day!
4. Let out a good scream and/or have a cry. I have said this before, and maybe I am more vocal than most, but it is sooooo therapeutic for me. A few tears in the car, a yell (when I make sure no one is around to avoid security being called on the crazy lady in the SUV), and walking away from life for 10 minutes really helped me to reset my day.
5. Repeat a few affirmations/reminders. When I first read about affirmations I thought “ummmm that is cool but a little to hippy-dippy for me.” But damn it, affirmations are great. I often have clients write them down, because unfortunately others don’t always remember that some times we actually need to hear it from them out loud. Here are some I keep in my back pocket:
   a. I am a good mom
   b. I am a good attorney
   c. I prioritized the needs of my day in a way that best served my practice
   d. Nothing fell to shit (other than my morning), deadlines were met, and my boys had a great start to their day (after we got some tears out and got over getting our fingers pinched in the door).

I hope some of these help you and would love to hear about things that work for you that are not on the list!

Until next time!