A Little Magic for Your Monday

How do you feel about Mondays?

I know, there are people out there who LOVE them. “It’s a brand new week!” they say. “It’s another opportunity to change my life!” they say. They begin the week fully charged after a weekend of resting and relaxing.

While I don’t hate Mondays, I generally don’t come rushing into them ready to take on the world. I’m more of a mellow-Monday kind of woman. I try to gather my thoughts and make a plan for the week. I tend to see Monday as a day to get organized. It’s more of a “start your engines,” kind of a day.

Then there are the Monday-haters. I had a friend in my 20s who used to drink to excess on Sunday evenings on purpose. “Mondays suck anyway,” was his philosophy, “so why not be hungover?”

Monday can be a smack-in-the-face, return-to-the-grind kind of day. On Monday we may find ourselves facing what we put off on Friday. I know many who feel the dread start on Sunday afternoon, leading to poor sleep Sunday evening and a miserable Monday morning.

“Monday, Monday. Can’t trust that day,”— The Mamas and The Papas

If Mondays aren’t really your thing, I’d like to help you add a little magic to your Monday. Whether you love Mondays or hate them, there’s always a way to make them better.

Just for today, I’m giving you permission to take a breather. Just for a minute (maybe two or three).

Try this exercise with me.

• Sit up straight in your chair, close your eyes, take a deep breath…inhale as deeply as you can.
• Hold that breath for just one second, then slowly exhale.
• Sink into your chair a bit deeper, feel the stress and tension leave your body as you exhale.
• Repeat the inhale, repeat the long, slow exhale.
• On your third inhale, open your eyes, smile to yourself and get on with your day.

I’ll bet you feel relaxed, focused and you may be smiling to yourself.

The thing with Mondays (or Tuesdays or any day) is that even if you dread them or if they tend to go off the rails rather quickly, you can regain control.

How you define a good day or a bad day is entirely up to you and how you choose to view the day.

It’s easy to get caught up in chaos and stress. Finding your calm in the middle of your storm can be as simple as regaining control of your breath and emotions.

Starting your day taking a breath and focusing can transform your day before it even begins.

So give this little exercise a try. You just might have a magical Monday.