I write this from a foreign computer

Mine crashed yesterday. Lately it seems I have been getting curve ball after curve ball when it comes to technology.

It started Saturday, we began house-sitting and as I pull into the driveway (while already talking on the phone) I realize I never asked for the new code to disarm the alarm system. I got off the call and in hopes of catching my parents during a layover in their international flight, tried calling their cells.   Not only did I not reach them, my phone decided it no longer wanted to be a phone. Web browser, sure. Gaming system, absolutely. Any calling or texting? Not happening.

All I could think about was the poor little pup inside who was patiently waiting to go potty and how I could do nothing to help at that moment. I immediately went to the unhappiest place on Earth, especially mid-day on a Saturday, the Sprint Store where they magically made my phone fully functional once again. Still no code. Re-centering myself, I thought of every person in my phone book that may have the code. After a little brainstorming the code was acquired and the dog found relief.

It didn’t stop there

Yesterday, after dropping the girl at school, I decided to get a hop on getting all of the official red tape taken care of with my name change and all the fun stuff that comes along after getting married. While at the court house I am trying to assist a friend trying to get some stuff processed online and seriously running into Murphy’s law almost every step of the way. After a few phone calls it got worked out, crisis averted.

Then after seeing the line wrapped around the Social Security office, I decided I had tons of work to do and should just leave that name change for another day. Start working, nothing odd, then my systems starts running a little slowly. Usually this is a quick fix, just restart and try not to open a zillion windows. For some reason, instead of going to the little Windows bar and selecting restart, my already frustrated finger found the power button and reset it that way. That was the last time I saw any sort of screen in the Windows program. Log in pops up, system manager, and ASUS screens, but my actually desktop, no dice.

I had a minor melt down, I had a meeting with someone that I was planning on walking through some stuff online, I have stuff that hadn’t been backed up to the newest file. I mean seriously, me without my laptop is pretty bad. It is my office since I work from home.   Luckily I am house-sitting and have access to a computer though. I took it to the local computer repair and they said 10 days minimum, probably a virus, blah, blah, blah. So today I have a guy coming to the house to fix it. Problem hopefully solved, data hopefully saved.

How to Keep Your Cool When Technology Just Plain Sucks:

Give yourself 5-10 minutes to freak out and MOVE ON

Seriously, let it out, it helps, you feel it, it’s there. Just remember that after your little nervous break down that it ISN’T the end of the world, everything WILL be ok, and go to your next task that doesn’t involve whatever piece of technology is on the fritz.

Be solution oriented 

There is a solution. Find it. Even if it sucks. I really didn’t want to add going to the Sprint store to the already packed day I had this weekend, it was way out of my way too. But sitting and cursing at my phone wasn’t going to make anyone’s life any better.

Keep on with your day

It may seem like the end of the world, but unless you are an android, I am pretty sure there are things in your daily task list that do not involve technology. Do them as you sort out the problem and figure out what you are going to do.

Find your center

Whether it be a few deep, calming breaths of a full-on meditation, find your place of peace and serenity. It is a lot easier to see things clearly, find the solution, and not throw your entire day away if you are calm and collected. I even bump it up a notch and apply essential oils that having calming properties.

When all else fails, find gratitude

It may be the last thing you want to do at a time like this, but look at what is going right in your life, in the world at the moment.   Nothing ruins a good pity party like having gratitude!

What are ways that you keep your cool when life throws you curve balls?   Share with me in the comments section!