H.A.L.T

I originally heard this idea from Michael Hyatt's podcast several months ago. As things go it has been sitting at the back of my mind until something happens, like it did today, that really bumped it to the front of the thought queue.

Let me tell you a short story about my day. I was off today from work (yay!) so we all spent a lot of the day out running errands and such that I usually can't do/help with. It was productive, but tiring. When we got home we had to run to the store to get a few things for dinner. The kitchen was a huge mess so that had to be cleaned first. I cleaned enough to cook some eggs for the kids for a quick dinner because it was getting late. The kids goofed off and didn't do get ready for bed quickly and I found the oldest's lunch all over their room. So I was a bit peeved.

I ended up being a bit short with them and they went to bed without a story.

I did not handle everything this evening in the best way. And as I'm writing this I am very much wanting that gump to not stick around so I can enjoy the remainder of my evening with my wife and not grump all over her.

This all leads back to the podcast I mentioned. In it, though it wasn't the main point, he mentioned the acronym H.A.L.T. It stands for HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONELY, TIRED. The idea is that when you are one or more of those things, regardless of why, it is a lot harder to be the best version of you. You are a lot more likely to grump all over your family, which is not good.

The key is to recognize that you are in that state, so at the very least you can warn people you aren't in the best frame of mind, and also it enables you to find a path to fixing what might otherwise be a mysterious bad mood. So eat something, cool off, get a good hug, and get some rest, even if it means going to bed.

So I am going to H.A.L.T before I grump all over Debra and try to be a slightly more cuddly version of myself than I was before.