We all have them. The hard days. I've found that oftentimes they clump together into weeks or even seasons. It might be difficult seasons with your kids and their behavior, it might be difficult because of outside life circumstances or it could be something personal to do with you (physical, mental, emotional, etc...). I have found it helpful to think through a game plan for how to handle times such as this. This is my go-to plan for those days...

Feed Your Soul

The very first thing I try and do on a bad day is go to the Lord in prayer and open God's word. Without question, this is the most important thing. Oftentimes I find that a big part of the problem is my heart before the Lord or something inside of me that needs to be changed. But even the days there are outside circumstances, I need to take a few minutes and spend time reading the Bible and praying. 2 Peter 1:3 says that He has given us "everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him." That means everything I need for the good days and the hard days can be found in Him and the knowledge of Him. How do we learn more about Him? By going to His word.

Practically speaking, most of the time, this means I have to stop in the middle of the chaos and prioritize this. It might mean me settling my kids into room time for a little bit or giving them a snack and turning on a show. But on the hard days, I have to stop and go there.

Cut Down To The Basics

The next thing I do is cut out anything I can from the day. If I see it's going to be a doozy, I cut out all unnecessary things from the day. It might mean I make the groceries stretch one more day because there is no way I trust my kids to make it through a shopping trip. It might mean I cancel the activity I planned to do with kids and turn on the TV instead. THERE'S GRACE FOR THE HARD DAYS, MAMA! (For the record, there's grace for the good days too ;). You plan your day, and you hold the control of it. If there are commitments that you can't get out of, keep it as limited as possible. Cut down to the basics of your routine.

Rest In Your Routine

One of the BEST parts of having a routine is being able to have it to fall back on for the crazy days. Take advantage of room time, take advantage of nap/rest time. The great thing of a well-practiced routine is that you don't have to think about it and it doesn't take extra energy or capacity. So sit back and reap the benefits of that routine!

Call For Reinforcements

Hear me friends, there is no shame in calling in help. Do you have family nearby who can give you a break for a couple hours? Is it worth planning a sitter for the night and having a date night with your man? Is there a friend you can call and come crash their house for an impromptu playdate (and offer to return the favor one day??) Do you need to ask your husband to cover you for a night out of the house? My husband is so good at offering this, but I also know I can ask if I just need a minute by myself outside of the house. There are some days where I call him before he comes home and when he walks in the door, I walk out. A 20 minute break at Sonic can do a world of good.

**A Note on Personal Discipline**

I think one of the benefits of personal discipline can be helping make the hard days few and far between. At least the ones we can control. Here's a list of the things I try to hone in on daily, regular self-discipline:

- Daily Time With God and His Word
- 7-8 hours of Sleep
- eating 3 meals a day and limiting snacking
- Drinking a good amount of water every day
- Consistency in parental discipline
- Practice regular community with my church

So this is my game plan for the hard days! Hopefully it helps encourage you on one of those inevitable days we all face!

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