Confession – I often find myself with the Sunday blues, feeling anxious and agitated about the week ahead. Work has been pretty stressful lately, making my weekends oh so precious and my weeks oh so long. I simply can’t afford to spend an entire day of my valuable weekend time feeling sad and worried! Instead, what I can do is take steps to increase my confidence that I can wake up on Monday (and everyday) and kill it at my day job while also enjoying my down time. The key to doing this lies in my morning rituals – just a few sacred moments and practices each day that allow me to set myself and my day up for success.
COFFEE IN MY SPECIAL MUG
Ah, Coffee! The ultimate symbol of adulthood. I couldn’t wait to get old enough to drink it! I always watched my mom with her sacred cup of joe and thought I would have that same special time everyday as soon as I could. And sure enough, putting on my pot of coffee in the morning and pouring my first cup into my special, girly mug is one of the greatest joys of my day. It’s not really about the coffee as much as it is about the ritual of preparing something that is all mine and savoring it. I could just as easily do this with tea or a cup of hot water with lemon. The point is that I take care and am mindful in preparing it.
10 MINUTES OF DEDICATED DAYDREAM TIME
Once I make my coffee in my girly mug, I head straight to my favorite spot in the house for 10 minutes of dedicated daydream time. It’s my special green chair and ottoman that I picked out for myself when I left New York and moved to my own apartment in Chicago. And this activity is precisely what I imagined I’d do in it, in a private little corner of my home.
These daydreams have absolutely zero limitations. I can imagine all my wildest dreams for career, home, life, relationship, travel – whatever. It’s something we don’t allow ourselves as adults to do that often. But you know what I’ve found? All of the big dreams I have, aren’t that crazy and unattainable. In fact, this special time every day has actually allowed me to tap into the places I really want to take my life. I’d been so afraid to daydream because I was so afraid my real dreams were never reachable, and I simply didn’t want to feel disappointed or like a failure. One day soon, I’ll share those dreams with you. But in the meantime, I strongly encourage you to try this. You simply choose a topic, set a timer and let your mind wander. Trust me, it’s magical.
INTENTION-SETTING
This is a practice that has changed my life during this stressful time. I sit down with a nice pen and a pristine page in my notebook, and I set my intention for that day in my best handwriting (because strong penmanship shows conviction!). Similar to how you would do this in a yoga class, try doing it for the day by dedicating it to a cause. If I know it’s going to be an intense day at work, I’ll choose an intention that has to do with peace and calm. For example:
Today I will get through all of my emails calmly, writing out my to-do list and prioritizing accordingly.
If I’ve had a squabble with my man or am feeling homesick for my family, I might set an intention to focus on love and how I can show it to those in my life. For example:
Today I will give thought to the best qualities of the people I’m thinking of and to ways I can tell them I love them.
I’ll leave the notebook with this intention open on my desk all day so that I have to look at it. Each time I do, I’m able to take a deep breath, reset and bring that intention to mind. And it works!
SPECIAL MUG DISCOUNT CODE!
Want to know something funny? I love having my own special, girly mug. I know my boyfriend will never reach for this one, and the quote – Always Wear Your Invisible Crown – is certainly something I live by! This was a gift from a fellow style blogger, Ann of Step Inside My Closet. She is a rockstar with her own Etsy shop – A Cup of Quotes.
If you’re looking for your own special mug to complete your morning ritual, check out the A Cup of Quotes shop here. AND THEN! Use this special discount code: BLOGANDCOFFEE to get free shipping with your order! A big thank you to Ann for making my morning ritual inspirational!
Well, dear readers, I hope you don’t mind a departure from our usual subject matter but I have to say that taking time for yourself is so important and has really helped me to manage a very stressful moment in life. Your ritual doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should be important and sacred to you. I encourage you to give one or all of these things a try this week.
Happy Sunday and Bring It, Monday.
Belle
