Monday, 12/5/22: Talking about a November recap and stress-relief activities
Happy Monday!
It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.
Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.
Three Steps to a Happier Monday
Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.
Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend?
Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?
Step 3: What is my intention for this week?
GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for a really fun holiday staycation!!, my relaxing Saturday morning and that the sun was out.
TODAY: I’m doing one of my first rides on a Peloton bike this morning, so I’m most excited for that!
INTENTION: My intention this week is to use my new journal every day.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: Notes from November
As one of the items on my 22 in 2022 list, I’m writing a quick recap at the end of each month with 10 things to remember.
I can’t believe today’s recap is for the second-to-last month in 2022! Time is flying.
But I really am enjoying the ritual of taking a moment to pause, remember the little things, and think about what I’m excited for next month. If you are looking for an activity to pep up your Monday, give this a try. Scroll through your photos or reference your calendar from the past couple weeks and make a quick list of memories and ordinary moments. A lot can happen in four weeks!
November’s 10 Things:
- Starting with the little things – yay that November means the Starbucks holiday cups are back!!! Fully recognize this is a marketing ploy (and one I’m susceptible to). I’m not even a big fan of any of the holiday drinks, but I get so much joy from drinking my coffee in a festive cup. Just makes me happy!
- To try and recreate some of that magic at home, I also drink from Christmas mugs starting in late November. I recently picked up this one from Anthropologie and think it is so cute (I love the whole line really – wish they had a Chicago one!).
- In November, Matt and I saw the musical Wicked – so fun! Wicked is one of my favorite musicals, so when I saw it would be in Chicago, I knew I had to go. So glad Matt wanted to go too!
- My mom visited Chicago at the beginning of November and we got to end the month together at home in Florida. My mom’s birthday is right around Thanksgiving and I’m so glad we almost always are together for it. Love celebrating her!
- I felt like the weather was warmer than usual in Chicago this November. Which was nice, until a flip switched and the freezing temps arrived in a flash. Lots of my favorite coat, my short UGGs and the trick of wearing leggings under joggers in my future.
- As those temps drop, I’m really trying to be intentional about combating the winter blues. I do my best to get outside in the morning (even if that means extensive bundling) or as a break in the early afternoon. When the sun starts to set (shockingly early), I turn on my flameless candles, lamps and play a video of a fireplace on my TV. So far it’s helping!
- In other words, I’m certainly leaning into the coziness of the season. One of the perks of cozy season? Comfort food 🙂 I made this crustless chicken pot pie in November and Matt and I both loved it. The night we had it, it also was the first night we had some real snow flurries in Chicago. Just felt right!
- I had a great month of reading in November with books like Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, The Magnolia Palaceand Time Smart. I didn’t know if Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow would live up to the hype, but for me, it did. It was just unlike any other book I read this year!
- I bought my first Hill House Nap Dress and really love it. I’ve had these dresses on my wish list for a while and when I saw they did a holiday drop (+ I had a percentage off), I couldn’t resist ordering two of the plaid variations to try on – this one and this one. I justified the purchase with the fact that I spend a lot of time in Florida during the holidays. These dresses are perfect for that!
- I love that part of November involves planning and anticipating the holidays. But it can also feel like A LOT… and I’m not always the best at managing my own expectations. Listening to podcast episodes like this one and this one helped me intentionally think about what I want holidays to feel like this year.
On My Monday Radar
Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:
- Started listening to this audiobook on my walks. I was looking for something to get in a festive mood and this book is just speaking to my soul. Loving it!
- This Five-Minute Journal was one of my Black Friday purchases and I’m going to start using it this week. Really excited to test it out! Feels like a great way to start and end the day.
- With it being December, I’m officially kicking off my holiday reading – yay! In addition to listening to the book I mentioned above, I’ve also started We Met in Decemberand have In a Holidaze and A Season for Second Chances ready to go next.
- Bookmarking this article with suggestions of stress-relief activities. Definitely need some of these reminders this time of year.
That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this!
Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan