Me Monday Mornings
“Abundance is not something we acquire, it is something we tune into.” Wayne Dyer
“The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” Diane Von Furstenberg
Over the years I have tried MANY things to inspire myself towards having more effective habits and getting more done. I have written copious lists, created dozens of colour coded schedules, tried reward plans and read plenty of books on everything from motivation and organization to minimizing and self-actualizing. Any guesses on how many of them have worked? If you are hovering anywhere around the zero mark then you would be absolutely correct! None of them. Not a one. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. I have yet to master a timetable or last more than a few days in any kind of super structured lifestyle. Historically, I have taken this to mean that I am a great big failure at whatever system I tried, since clearly the person who wrote the book or developed the plan has found success with it. Lately, however, in the spirit of self-compassion, one degree turns and turtle steps, I have been considering other options that might be more reasonable and gentle for my particular set of circumstances.
“Me Monday Mornings” has been my go-to practice for starting my week off with goodness. This is how it works; it is rather simple really. Monday mornings are reserved for MOI to take extra time for whatever I feel a desire to do. Anything that calls to me, that I feel connected to, a longing for, an opportunity to enjoy and savour in that moment. Sometimes I have self-care items I want to focus on so I take added minutes to buff, polish, trim or pluck. That could mean painting my toenails a new, fun colour, curling my hair a wee bit just because, putting on some makeup, using a favourite soap in the shower or wearing a beloved sweater. It can be whatever I want and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Having lived with chronic illness for several decades, I have not had the energy to devote to these sorts of things the way a healthy person might and I recognize how much I have missed them. The feeling of joy wearing something new that I feel good in, the excitement of getting a compliment on my hairstyle, that sense of feeling beautiful and worthy of a splurge is SO important for me. Maybe you know what I mean! It just feels lovely to have a day where I can do a little bit extra and not feel guilty either for doing too much, or not doing enough.
Sometimes my Monday morning is a harder one. Maybe I didn’t sleep well the night before, had a busy weekend or just don’t feel my best. Then it is also a great time for me to lean into some alternate practices like some extra rest, a longer time to meditate, or watching a favourite movie. There is no set agenda, but rather a desire to connect with myself in the deepest way possible. If my parts that need the most attention are the ones that want more quiet, then that is how I can lean into them and let them know that I hear them, I care and I want to act in ways that benefit their wellness. But even on those days, I will try and pick a thing or two that I can do just for me. A bit of lipstick, my special shampoo (Paul Mitchell Tea Tree just in case you were wondering) or my favourite morning tea. If you have never had David’s Tea “Forever Nuts” or “Just Peachy” … hot or iced… you are missing out! But, I digress.
What makes Me Monday Mornings work is that it is NOT something that I could or would do every day. WAAAAYYYY too much pressure!! Believe me, I have tried, MANY times. In a strange but very real kind of way it takes energy to care for oneself, and when you don’t have a lot of it to spare, it is unrealistic to think that you could somehow have a bunch of daily practices (even good ones) that don’t create a heavy burden. What I am aiming for is to come at this from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. I believe that this is the most critical piece of the whole thing. Whenever I am approaching my life from a sense of shortage or lack (fearing there is not enough energy, time, money, health or whatever else) my system goes into an automatic lock down. My brain, logically, figures I had better hold on to every single resource that I have at my disposal in the moment. My joints hold tighter, my heart slams shut, my brain prioritizes hypervigilance. I become more anxious and stressed and feel more tension and pain. This, in itself, is exhausting. When, instead, I can have a Me Monday Morning with a sense of openness to whatever is there (even if that is a need for more rest), then I am looking at it from a space of ABUNDANCE and bounty. I have EXTRA time to spend today on whatever I want or need to. I can sleep in, have a long hot bath, catch up on my favourite TV show. I CAN do any or all of these things or I CAN do just one or none of them. For this one morning every week, I have PLENTY, LOTS, MORE, AMPLE, A PLETHORA, AS MUCH AS I NEED.
Today, I had a desire to write this blog post, and so here I am. I woke up a bit tired and decided to sleep in a little. Because I can. I took some extra time to get ready this morning so I feel more sprightly. I am wearing my favourite sweater that is both cozy and stylish, and I feel comfortable. I plan to do some really great yin yoga today to SAVOUR the poses rather than rush through them. And, if I still feel the energy around lunch time, I might go for a short walk to get some fresh air and sunshine. The kind of stroll where I will stop every so often to enjoy the warmth and brightness on my face, feel my feet touching the ground and imagine the bones and joints as I move along. Take a second to just connect to the trees and the birds and the sky and allow my senses to take it in. I will be wearing my most adorable toque with a big pom pom, and my super cute aviator sunglasses and although I may not see a single other soul as I round the block, I will be strutting my stuff because it is a Me Monday Morning, which in its very nature, is all about ME.
As an added bonus, I have found that practicing the art of abundance on Monday mornings leads to me feeling more openness on other days of the week too. Knowing I have enough even for that one morning per week, helps me to be better attuned towards those same feelings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and even on weekends! Not perfectly, of course, but then that was never the goal in the first place. My objective (if I have one at all) is to sink deeply into the knowledge that I have enough for this moment and then the same in the next one and again in the next.
Me Monday Morning has become my favourite part of the week. Knowing I can do anything I like, from staying in bed to singing karaoke tunes gives me a sense of sufficiency and satisfaction that I really didn’t see coming. Now, for today, I feel ready to grab some tea, hit my yoga mat and chill for a while. I hope you feel ready to join me and grab some Me Monday Morning energy for yourself too. There is PLENTY to go around!