Have you ever had something go wrong first thing in the morning and decided five minutes later that the entire day was ruined?

The kids cannot find their shoes. Someone spills breakfast. Nobody is listening. You are running late. You lose your patience.

And suddenly...

“Today is going to be a disaster.”

But are you actually having a bad day?

Or did you just have a bad ten minutes?

After listening to Tony Robbins' Life Force, I started thinking about how much power we give the difficult moments in our lives, and how often we continue carrying them long after the actual moment is over.

In Episode 93 of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki, we are talking about mom stress, mindset, emotional regulation, perspective, and the stories we tell ourselves when life does not go according to plan.

This is NOT about toxic positivity or pretending difficult things do not hurt. Sometimes life really is hard.

It is about recognizing the difference between what actually happened and what we are making it mean.

Your child forgot something. Does that mean nobody ever listens to you?

You lost your patience. Does that mean you are a bad mom?

Your morning was chaotic. Does that mean the entire day has to be terrible?

Maybe not.

In this episode, I share three simple questions you can use when you feel yourself spiraling:

What actually happened?

What am I making this mean?

What happens next?

Because you cannot always control what happens to you.

But you still get a say in what happens next.

If you have ever let one frustrating moment ruin your entire day, carried an argument around for hours, felt overwhelmed by motherhood, or struggled to let things go, this episode is for you.