Monday Mindfulness
Jul. 17th, 2023 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goodandsteepI don't know about you, but Monday's are sometimes hectic. So hectic that the little things set everyone off. One of the best ways I've found to combat the false sense of urgency everyone at work places on returning from the weekend is to spend some time when I first wake up preparing for the day.
I don't mean the typical make coffee, shower, feed the pets, etc - but in a way I do. Making morning meditation part of the morning routine for any day of the week is an important habit for me, but Monday's in particular need some extra zen.
The first part of my morning is crawling out of bed and onto a set of meditation pillows. I spend 5 minutes focusing on my breath, clearing my mind and transitioning from sleeping to being awake. I pay attention to my surroundings, I listen to the birds outside, the early morning traffic, sometimes the sounds of others beginning their own day. I pay attention to my breath and to how my body feels - these things tell me how well I slept. My cat normally joins me and by the end of the 5 minutes, we are both ready to start the day.
On Mondays I need a little more. So at the end of my other morning tasks (which include feeding said cat and journaling with a cup of coffee), I'll take an additional 5 minutes and return to my favorite meditation spot in my bedroom. After I settle into several breaths (5-7), I will begin to set my intention for the day.
It is important not to make this a mental 'to-do' list. I'm a HUGE fan of making 'to-do' lists, so avoiding this here is a constant struggle for me. The intention needs to be something affirming vs. negative and should be something you can mentally touch upon during the day should you need it.
A generic example I often use is "Today will be a good day"
If a customer or co-worker or neighbor or whatever begins frustrating me, I can touch upon this intention and choose to alter my reaction to them in order to make today a good day.
A bad example would be "Fred won't irritate me today"
This places the onus on Fred to behave in some way rather than focusing on you and what your reaction to Fred is. A better example would be "I won't let Fred irritate me today"
Will you still get irritated? Possibly.
This exercise also helps remind us that other people's behaviors are not within our control - we can only control our reaction.
Perhaps when another co-workers asks how you can stand it when Fred eats with his mouth open or talks loudly over others, you can pass along this advice.
I don't mean the typical make coffee, shower, feed the pets, etc - but in a way I do. Making morning meditation part of the morning routine for any day of the week is an important habit for me, but Monday's in particular need some extra zen.
The first part of my morning is crawling out of bed and onto a set of meditation pillows. I spend 5 minutes focusing on my breath, clearing my mind and transitioning from sleeping to being awake. I pay attention to my surroundings, I listen to the birds outside, the early morning traffic, sometimes the sounds of others beginning their own day. I pay attention to my breath and to how my body feels - these things tell me how well I slept. My cat normally joins me and by the end of the 5 minutes, we are both ready to start the day.
On Mondays I need a little more. So at the end of my other morning tasks (which include feeding said cat and journaling with a cup of coffee), I'll take an additional 5 minutes and return to my favorite meditation spot in my bedroom. After I settle into several breaths (5-7), I will begin to set my intention for the day.
It is important not to make this a mental 'to-do' list. I'm a HUGE fan of making 'to-do' lists, so avoiding this here is a constant struggle for me. The intention needs to be something affirming vs. negative and should be something you can mentally touch upon during the day should you need it.
A generic example I often use is "Today will be a good day"
If a customer or co-worker or neighbor or whatever begins frustrating me, I can touch upon this intention and choose to alter my reaction to them in order to make today a good day.
A bad example would be "Fred won't irritate me today"
This places the onus on Fred to behave in some way rather than focusing on you and what your reaction to Fred is. A better example would be "I won't let Fred irritate me today"
Will you still get irritated? Possibly.
This exercise also helps remind us that other people's behaviors are not within our control - we can only control our reaction.
Perhaps when another co-workers asks how you can stand it when Fred eats with his mouth open or talks loudly over others, you can pass along this advice.
