Sometimes, making a change in one area of your life can dramatically improve things in another. Over the past week, I have noticed a big change in my ability to regulate my emotions in general. That change seems to be connected with some major changes that I have made to my diet. The effects that these changes have had on my relationship with my boys are certainly worth mentioning, because I feel like a much better parent right now than I was a couple of weeks ago.
A couple of weeks ago, I was certainly not a bad parent by any means. Since no one is perfect, there is always room for improvement. The thing that I felt I really wanted to improve upon in the parenting department was my attitude. I tended to be snippy and irritable some of the time, and when I would lose my temper I would shout. I had been improving upon that a little by focusing on trying to stay calm and choose my battles carefully, however I still felt like I was not the peaceful parent that I wanted to be.
Fast forward to last Sunday, when I started eating differently. We usually eat pretty well around here, if for no other reason than to make sure that the boys eat nutritious foods most of the time. I decided to take it a step further (for myself) by doing a program called Whole30. Please keep in mind that the creators of the Whole30 program have not compensated me in any way for mentioning them here. To make a long story short, cleaning up my diet has made me feel much better, both physically and mentally.
Since I have more energy, I am happier about playing with my kids. They are high energy, so they like active play. I am much more clearheaded and calm, and that has been the most important change because I am able to respond to Dylan and Blake more calmly. When little things happen, I am able to be gentle instead of snippy. When bigger things happen, I am able to offer guidance without losing my cool and shouting. Changing my food has changed my mood for the better. I had suspected that there was a connection between the two, but until I started exploring it for myself I did not realize just how much of a connection there is.