You’ve got your day planned out just perfectly. Plenty of time to complete the things that are have-to’s for today. And then it happens. That unexpected interruption.

Courtesy 123RF/olegdudko

Maybe it’s a coworker who needs assistance, or a neighbor who likes to talk stops by, or even a driver who doesn’t seem to be able to keep a good steady pace with all the other traffic on the road. Or irritating technology woes like your computer freezing up.

What will you do now? It seems you have no choice. Your day just got thrown a huge curve ball. It may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for you.

“It’s A Conspiracy!”

Just recently, I was sharing with a few friends something that my husband came up with years ago for situations like those above. “It’s a conspiracy! It’s a communist plot!” My friends immediately burst out laughing!

What makes that comment so funny?

The suggestion that there is a huge force behind a glass of spilt milk or a multitude of other pesky distractions or accidents in your daily life is downright funny. This absurd thought that I’m the victim of a vast conspiracy has helped me roll through daily hassles by remembering the following:

1. It’s not “them”. Although you may want to blame the kids, your spouse, or a driver on the road, it’s better to see mishaps as just that—mishaps. No one is really trying to upset your day.

2. Stuff happens. The days that pass with absolutely none of these little annoyances happening are few and far between. So enjoy the days without them and learn to get through the days where they catch you off guard. Everyday can be a good day—some days are just easier than others.

3. You do have a choice. So often we determine that there is no choice for how we respond in adverse situations. We have to yell. We have to get mad. We have to voice our frustration. In actuality, we do have a choice of how we respond. And it’s how we respond that counts.

4. Getting angry is not all it’s cracked up to be. We think it’s going to make us feel better. In reality, getting upset about the situation simply makes us angrier. Instead, consider looking at your situation from 50,000 feet up. Does this interruption really warrant an outrage? Is it worth losing the edge on your day?

Not all circumstances that waylay our time are exactly laughable, but it is important to consider our reaction no matter what the situation. It’s so much better to embrace the moment, laugh it off, clean it up, and move on with your day.

Question: How do you keep daily hassles in perspective? Share your answer at https://kirbyandersen.com/2016/10/keeping-pesky-unexpecteds-from-ruining-your-day/.