How To Have A Better Monday (even if it started sucky)

I write this on a Monday morning as inspiration to all who seek a better way…

The truth is that Monday’s don’t bother me so much; they’re just like any other day to me. But there is something a little cheerless about them isn’t there? Maybe it’s because for two whole days we had complete freedom and now on this day we are slaves to our watches for another 5 days.  Maybe it’s because we actually deeply despise our jobs and haven’t yet decided to make that leap into the unfamiliar.  Maybe Monday’s to some represent “the man” and us not being as autonomous as adults as we thought we would be as kids.  The variables to this are great…and vast…and completely subjective. No matter why you don’t like Mondays, or if this particular Monday started out not that great – the power to alchemize the energy is all ours and no one else’s.

Today I kind of woke up grumpy. For me, when I don’t get all of my “household balancing” throughout the past week/weekend to get that sense of accomplishment, Monday’s are not as warm and fuzzy to me as they usually are.  This weekend was packed with glorious socializing, and because of it, I was out of my routine.  Though things like grocery shopping and laundry were all done, I just didn’t feel like I completed enough of what I wanted to.  To top it all off, this is an unusually busy time of the year all around, and I had a lot of extra work to do at the barn with impending snow.

So waking up at 5 am today I was more like W.T. F. than I was “YAY!” So let me tell you how I am getting my “YAY” back;

• I took in ZERO social media. As if 10 am this morning, I still had not.
• I took in ZERO news. As of 10 am this morning, I still had not.
• I added a yummy flavored creamer to my coffee this morning
• I did some simple, but polished make up though I was in a hurry
• I stopped my car and told a joke to the crossing guard that I’m friendly with…though I was running late
• I have spoken to no one yet because I’m pretty unsure of what my tone is going to be like
• I dug into a small project that makes my soul sing
• I sent a message to my husband asking for some help today on a few things
• I did a “brain dump” of all the little tiddly bits that I feel are jamming up my energy, but are probably not that big of a deal if they don’t get done until later this week
• I did a 10 minute guided meditation on YouTube in my office to stop, and re-center.
• I will eat protein for lunch & then take my truck to be washed & vacuumed. Just a small victory in cleanliness!
• I will complete one huge assignment that I am NOT looking forward to just to get it out of the way for the rest of the week to be easier
• I will go to the gym tomorrow morning and do a good H.I.I.T workout

Sometimes a shit day is just a shit day. Everyone has them and we’d be stupid to pretend they don’t exist. In order to not make someone else’s day shit, it’s best to just keep it to yourself and do the very best that you can to allow the feelings, not take them personally, and then start over again in each moment.  Tomorrow, aim to be better rested and smarter for the experience but realizing where the holes in your self-care routine may be.

In conclusion,

Tonight is my neighborhood’s tree lighting ceremony, and then I will go and tuck my horses into their stalls for the night. There are so many reasons on this particular Monday to keep joy in my heart, and odds are you have just as many. This past weekend brought many heart swelling moments that I’m grateful for, as well as plenty of laughs and this coming weekend will be more of the same.  In between time, there is no reason to allow one day to perpetuate as being “bad”, I can reign this day in and ultimately make it something beautiful, and so can you!