Don’t poke the sleeping grizzly bear!

Hello Friends,

Recently I awoke in an “off” mood – feeling a bit tired and cranky. As I prepared for the day I tried to ignore it but couldn’t shake it. As I got in my car, still feeling moody, I decided to do something about so it wouldn’t spiral into an even bigger mood and ruin my day. I asked myself, if this feeling were a place, what would it look like? In my imagination I saw a sleeping grizzly bear in an open cave and a kid came over, poked it and ran. So when he awoke frustrated and ready to pounce, the source of his irritation was nowhere to be found. He sat there with a quizzical look on his face, hunched his shoulders and decided to go back to his nap. It was cartoonish and comical. I had a good, hearty laugh and the offending feeling soon dissolved.

At the office, a colleague asked how I was and I answered honestly, sharing my feelings and experience on the commute. We both laughed and she told me about a book her young son loves: “Don’t wake the bear, hare!” by Steve Smallman. Well, of course I immediately searched it out, read it and loved it. A cautionary tale about not judging a book by its cover or believing conventional lore, complete with a happy ending. I highly recommend you read it – the kid in you will be pleased as punch and thank you for it. Needless to say, by this time the “off” mood was gone and I enjoyed a fine rest of my day.

Mel’s Two Cents: Don’t let an “off” mood ruin your entire day. I invite you to take a few moments to do some deep breathing or a quick mindfulness exercise. Or try imagining what the feeling would look like if it were a place, and then see yourself escaping or being rescued from that place easily – remember, this is your imagination so anything goes. The goal is to acknowledge and release the tension or offending feeling before moving forward so it doesn’t compound and worsen. Becoming more aware of your emotions allows you to manage them instead of letting them control you. Try it, have fun with it, and let us know how it worked out for you.

Until next time.

Mel