You’re upset because you just blew it in that meeting. You’re kicking yourself because you meant to get up early and ended up sleeping through your alarm and missing a flight. You’re stressed about the business, you wish your marriage was better, you hate the way your house looks from the street. You can’t watch the news without being disgusted or outraged or worried. 

What should you do? How can you deal with the creeping overwhelm that each of these problems has come to represent?

Go spend time with your kids. Seriously. 5 minutes. 15 minutes. 5 hours. Watch as those feelings melt away. Not because you’ve ignored them, but because they’ve been placed in perspective. Your kid doesn’t think you’re garbage because you messed up at work. Your kid doesn’t care about the economy. They’re not anxious. They’re not cynical. They’re not riding you about anything. 

They’re present. They’re happy. They’re grateful. They’re wonderful and they think you’re wonderful. Soak that in. Let them rub off on you. Have fun. Be reminded of what life was like before all these responsibilities fell onto your shoulders. And then, properly refreshed and reset, go back and tackle your problems the only way you can: one at a time, in the way that’s best for you and the people you love.

P.S. This was originally sent on March 12, 2020. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”