Monday, 6/15/20: Talking About My Mantra For Summer
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: From my weekend, I am thankful that I was able to spend time with two great friends, beautiful weather in the morning each day and book chats with my friend Anna.
TODAY: I am most excited about treating myself to an iced coffee sometime today! Little happy things 🙂
INTENTION: My intention is to focus on making nourishing, healthy meals at home during the workweek.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: A Summer Mantra
Can you believe Saturday marks the official first day of summer?
Ah, summer. The season of slowing down, sleeping in, basking in the sun and cooling down with ice cream. From anxiously awaiting the end of school to battling through those cold, dark and wintry months, many daydream about summer with great anticipation.
Obviously, this year is very different. From the canceled quintessential summer activities to the heaviness of the current world, daydreaming about a joyful, freedom-filled summer isn’t coming as naturally for me personally. And I’m saying this as someone who also recognizes the many advantages I have. I can’t even imagine how others are navigating planning summer activities for young kids, being furloughed/without a job or caring for a sick family member.
Even though our situations vary, I think we can agree our summer experience will be different this year.
But even with the atypical circumstances, how can we still experience some of our favorite parts of this coveted season?
What if we tried adopting a “summer mantra” or a “summer slogan?” Some kind of catchy phrase that would be repeated frequently to bring meaning and keep us focused in this unusual time.
Sure, it may be a cheesy idea, but here’s a few reasons why I think it could be beneficial:
- We’ll prioritize the time directly in front of us. By focusing on a season, we’re breaking down our uncertain futures into smaller, more manageable amounts of time. When I reframe my thinking and focus on the time between now and Labor Day Weekend, I feel less overwhelmed. I’m preventing my imagination from running wild with anxious thoughts about the future and I’m able to be intentional about these upcoming months.
- We are going to remember this summer more than other summers. Did you know that switching up your routine improves your ability to retain information? Research shows that when you change your routine, you stimulate your hippocampus (where long-term memories are stored) and allow yourself to remember things with greater emotional depth and connection. This is why we can vividly remember where we were when we received shocking news or why we remember a discussion that happened on a family vacation, but not the one at the dinner table last Tuesday. I also think this is why the first couple weeks of quarantine felt so incredibly long. We were all breaking every part of our routines. Eventually, we settled into new ones, and all the sudden, time sped up. (How is it already mid-June?!) This summer is going to be different than any summer we’ve experienced before. And that means we’re more likely to remember this season… so what kind of memories do you want to have?
- Joy is a necessary release right now. Pursuing joy might seem trivial or even inconsiderate right now. I feel that. But I also know humans have an amazing ability to simultaneously hold two conflicting feelings at the same time. I’m also willing to bet we could all benefit from the release joyful moments could provide. One of the best things we can do for those we love and care about is to take care of our own well-being. And a summer mantra that reminds you to seek out moments of joy could be a great way to do that.
So, what’s my mantra for this summer? After some reflection, I’ve decided that my mantra is to choose adventure over comfort.
Now, I’m not talking about adventures like extreme sports competitions or strenuous activities. After all, my mantra is not adventure over safety (that sounds exhausting)!
Instead, I chose this mantra to help reframe a few upcoming things I’m nervous about. For example:
- I’m nervous about going back to Chicago and being on my own after being with my family for so long. But I’m thinking of it as an adventure. It almost feels as if I am moving to the city all over again.
- There’s one creative project I’ve been thinking about recently and I can’t wait to embark on the adventure of pursuing it.
- I’m anxious because I don’t know when my work will return to the office and what that will look like. But I’m continuing to find an adventure in working from home.
- My typical summer reading list is usually filled with light beach reads. However, this year I’m venturing out. I’m adding in some of the books I’ve recently purchased (like Austin’s, Ibram’s and Ijeoma’s!) that I’m eager to read to continue educating myself.
- I’m not sure what my summer Chicago weekends will look like this year without the free street festivals right outside my door, Cubs games and crowded rooftop bars… but I look forward to the adventure of seeing how I fill my time and enjoy the best time of the year in the Windy City.
What do you think? Will you pick a summer mantra for 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:
- Finding joy in an unconventional summer. This article was one of the inspirations behind today’s newsletter topics! Love Ingrid’s tips for how to find joy this summer. This could be a great place to start if you are brainstorming your own summer mantra.
- Habits people want to keep post-quarantine. I’m a habit geek, so I was drawn to this article about the most common habits people want to keep in post-quarantine life. It got me thinking about the new habits I’ve cultivated and which ones I want to keep up with in the future. In general, I think so many of our day-to-day habits will be forever transformed because of the duration of this pandemic. Have you thought about this? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you feel comfortable sharing, you could email me here or submit anonymously to my “mailbox” here!
- Enjoyed this podcast episode about stepping out of privilege. I listened to this interview with Layla Saad, global activist and bestselling author of Me and White Supremacy, this week. I really appreciated Layla’s wisdom and message about the necessary inner work we all need to do. As Layla said in the interview, the inner work is critical and although it will be difficult and messy, the payoff is getting to live out our values.
- Cookies and cream cookie recipe. Okay, I know my intention is healthy eating this week. But how good does this cookie recipe look?! Could be the perfect sweet addition to your Monday. 🙂
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
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