On a Monday morning I drop my kids off at school and do a little bit of work before picking my little girl up from nursery.
This Monday morning I cried.
My four year old daughter and my eight year old son had the 'Monday morning blues'. They just didn't want to do what they 'needed' to do.
Despite my best efforts to encourage them and focus on the positives, I had to leave them both in tears as I said my 'goodbyes'.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
What on earth are we doing to our kids, when we're giving four years olds the 'Monday morning blues'?
Seriously!
We're teaching them to be miserable.
We're teaching our children to wake up dreading the day ahead, when every day that we breathe is a day to be grateful for.
Image thanks to canstockphoto
Don't get me wrong, the school my kids go to is wonderful. The teachers are kind and caring and greet everyone with smiles and a hug. I know that my kids come out of school happy.
But it breaks my heart that our future generation is waking up as miserable as the adults today. Some of the teenagers I coach suffer from panic attacks and some are already on antidepressants.
It's my wish that everyone reading this can wake up each day and feel happy about what lies ahead for them.
I'm a Happiness Coach, but I'm human. The days I don't wake up with a spring in my step, I do something about it as soon as I can. I do my best to get into a better state.
How?
Meditation, yoga, getting outside, listening to my favourite song, dancing in the kitchen and asking for a hug are top of my list, but I do anything that I know will make me feel better, even if it is a good cry!
In the past when I felt down, that feeling could stay with me for longer. Negative feelings that you keep on feeling can become a habit - if you feel them for long enough then they can become part of your temperament.
It's a slippery slope.
I'm not telling you to just drop your worries and smile. I know that's easier said than done. I want to point out the fact that you can take control of your thoughts, feelings and mood.
We don't have to be programmed to be miserable all of the time.
Life is meant to be fun. We're supposed to be happy!
Yet too many of us are taught that life is hard, that we have to work hard to get what we want and that we have to put up with situations, even if we don't like them.
If something is causing you sadness you have two options. You can change the situation, or you can change your reaction to it - by looking at it in a different way.
So, if you're in a job you don't enjoy, then you can change it, or focus on the positives of what the job brings you right now and do your best to feel better each day. Take time out to have fun and do what makes you happy. When you're feeling better, you have a more positive outlook.
If you're a teenager sitting exams, you can change your reaction to your exams. You don't need to stress! Do your best to have a positive mindset. You could see the exams as an opportunity for the next stage of your life, but understand that they do not determine your future or your worth. Meditation can help you stay calm and focused for revision. Focusing on your breathing can help you stay calm in the exam itself.
Life is too short to wake up miserable.
I just hope we can teach our children that they do have a right to be happy.
It's us adults that have got it wrong.
To get a free meditation to help you be happy, along with a special meditation to help students stay calm when sitting exams, visit Jaelithe's website
Follow Jaelithe on Facebook