*All inclusive, please read: Bogeymen. Bogeywomen. Bogeywhatevers.
I woke up a morning last week with the Bogeymen Gang in my bedroom, there are six of these hard asses: there’s Fear (the leader), Terror (Fear’s sidekick), Dread and Worry, and the wannabes Guilt and Regret.
I’m pretty sure this doesn’t happen only to me, that there are some of you who wake up with an unexplained heaviness upon you.
You can’t put your finger on it, the reason why (yet) or maybe you do know, are there are events happening that are affecting your mental well-being?
In the past, this bogus-gang have settled themselves down for the day, week, even months.
I’m sure they will be back again.
Experience tells me if I don’t own the game they instigate and defeat them all before breakfast they own my thoughts for the rest of the day or can shadow my every move.
And quite frankly, screw that because most days I have plans.
Their game is simple:
Dread and Worry start the attack. Before I’ve even opened an eye I’m worrying about: family, friends, the pets, work, clients, my life, my purpose, the hole in the bedroom ceiling, on and on it goes, and as you know: thoughts trigger the emotions and feelings.
In no time at all, Anxiety has joined in. Then, I get concerned over what I should’ve, outta, could’ve done with Guilt and Regret. Fear and Terror just hover around encouraging those four +1 to keep at it.
Not fully conscious, but conscious enough: I call to arms my own homies.
My own sound like an advert for a Superhero movie (cue big booming start of movie voice), “Courage, Strength, Truth, Honesty, Energy and Bugger This, they save the day, one day at a time”
You may be thinking, ‘that’s right Dawn, make it happen, self-fulfilling prophecy and all that’, of course you’re right, yet this is my occasional battle, I think that morning is the last time, only for it to happen a few months later, I’m a work in progress here my lovely.
When fighting this head war, the very brave, one and only Bugger This is always first to step forward and scream, ‘Under attack. Who the let them in so early? Why today? It’s Saturday. We haven’t even had our coffee yet.’
Their cries jolt me fully awake and I leap out of bed with the phrase, ‘No, not today, I’m busy’
Battle Before Breakfast
If the above is you, I don’t have all the answers of how you can change this, here’s a few things that I do, try them if you fancy:
Take action: Maybe just take a few minutes thinking about your answer to: ‘The next time (makes an assumption there will be a next time, that may or may not be true for you), here’s what I will do…insert plan of action…to defeat the Bogeyman Gang (make up a name that doesn’t make sense, changes the program in your head) if they visit before Breakfast.
Ask yourself “How do I feel?” Know and train yourself to become aware of how you feel you when you wake up. Seriously ask yourself ‘How do I feel today?’ You’ll know that answer.
The next part is ‘How do I want to feel by the end of the day?’ Take a few seconds and identify five emotional words, then say them, play them on repeat all day in your head all day.
Listen to music: music changes a mood (can uplift and deplete energy), obviously it’s all a personal choice, and for me I play it loud, play it fast, and play it sing-a-along-y. Tinkly-pinkly water running affairs don’t do it for yours truly.
Exercise: if it’s not being used as a clothes drier, I nip on the treadmill, five minutes is all it takes for me to defeat the gang. Exercise has been proven release natural chemicals to lift negative and heavy moods. We all know that now I’m sure.
Break routines: for me it’s straight in the shower, where usually I take my time waking up, on the gang driven mornings, I break the routines. What routine do you follow that can be mixed up? Changing patterns will require to think about what you are doing, habitual patterns you have less to think about.
Self-care: Sarah at Holistic Hot Sauce asked me about my self-care routine a few weeks ago, and this is one moment when it matters. Having the best coffee in the house, taking time and savouring all I am thankful for, talking to myself like how I would care for a loved one going through a hard time or throwing the leads on the dogs to go for a longer than usual walk.
What About You?
Who are your Bogeymen/women/whatevers? How do you/did you go about beating them before breakfast, if they appear(ed)?
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