Monday, 8/7/23: Talking about a phrase that’s helping me

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 relaxing pace for the weekend, time with Matt and my pedicure yesterday. 

TODAY: Today I’m most excited to meet up with some co-workers after work.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to go for a walk every day after work. 

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: “They Can Handle It”

Recently, I was listening to a podcast episode and heard something interesting. At around the 5:20 minute-mark in the episode, the host talks about something she learned from her therapist. In regards to overthinking certain situations – teetering on the borderline of people pleasing – the host’s therapist told her to remind herself, “they can cope.”

They can cope.

At first, the idea didn’t resonate much with me. I think it was something about the harshness of the word ‘cope’ that deterred me (we can analyze that later).

I wasn’t even aware the idea was still floating around in my head until I was at a brunch last weekend.

I had made reservations at my favorite restaurant, and Matt & I were meeting up with some of his friends who were in town. There were five of us altogether, and when we got to our table, we noticed it was a fairly small booth. A booth that would be perfect for three or four people, but a little tight for five.
We laughed about it briefly, squeezed in, and said we would make it work. No problem! (And we did make it work just fine.)

Yet, my mind started to go into overdrive, worrying that it was too tight or uncomfortable. I got so in my head that when the person to the left turned to say something to me, I couldn’t even concreate on what was being said.

The “they can cope” phrase popped into my head, and I adapted it for myself.

Megan, I thought. They can handle it. You’re handling it and you’re fine. They can handle it.

There was something about this mantra – they can handle it – that helped me get out of my head and back into the present moment. I was able to focus on the conversation, the people, and have a great time.

The next day, I found myself thinking of it again.

I was checking out at a cute stationary store. When asked if I wanted a receipt, I instinctively said no – and then backtracked – I actually did want a receipt, sorry.

The cashier said it would be no problem, she just had to figure out how to reverse it. As the minutes ticked by and she clicked away trying different thing, I started to feel awkward. Did I really need a receipt? Yes, I wanted to have the option to make a return if needed. But I felt awkward for taking up the cashier’s time and started to worry that a line might form behind me.

Instead of continuing to fret, I took a breath and repeated to myself, “she can handle it.”

Again, the mantra got me out of my overthinking loop and back into the moment, where I was able to patiently wait. Ultimately, when the cashier wasn’t able to go back and print me a receipt – but told me to just drop in if I needed to return it – I genuinely thanked her for trying.  

In the grand scheme of things, both these examples are quite small – and even a little silly.

It’s embarrassing to admit how much I can get in my head sometimes about little interactions. But I do. And when I get stuck in my mind, I’m pulled out of the present moment – pulled out of experiencing it and out of acting in the way I want to.

“They can handle it” – Never to be used to justify something unfair or cruel, but to put a stop to nonsensical worry loops? I think it works.

I hope if you find yourself overthinking something similarly silly today, the phrase “they can handle it” helps you too… to get out of your head and back into the moment.  

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:  

• Feeling nostalgic? Your brain is hardwired to crave it. Thought this was an interesting article! I am a very nostalgic person, so I enjoyed reading and learning some more about why we love reminiscing and thinking fondly on the past.
• If you enjoy learning about the enneagram (a personality framework), then I recommend these two podcast episodes – part 1 & part 2 – with “enneagram godmother” Suzanne Stabile. I had a couple of “OMG” moments while listening and immediately asked my mom to listen so we could chat about it  (we both love stuff like this).
• Another podcast episode I listened to last week and really liked – this conversation between Chip & Joanna Gaines and Adam Grant. Thought there was some great relationship advice (both for professional and personal ones) mentioned.
• Am I the only one who COMPLETELY MISSED that Ann Patchett has a new novel out?! I consider her one of my favorite authors, so I’m very excited there’s a new book of hers out in the world to read!  

Picture of the Week

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