Let’s be honest Mondays can be a drag.
For a long time, I was never a fan of Mondays. I always dreaded when the day would come because I knew that, that meant it was the start of a new week, which meant that I had 5 whole days to go before I got to the weekend again. Mondays have always been hard days for me because I would be so tired and not ready to start a whole new week at all. I got use to relaxing and being lazy over the weekend that I never did anything to prepare myself for the week ahead. And this wasn’t only as a teenager, this lasted for most of my young adulthood as well.
However, the reality is that Mondays is a day of the week that can’t be skipped over. Whether we like it or not we have to greet Monday in order to greet any of the other days of the week. For those of us for usually don’t look forward to Mondays, what do we do about it? We create a routine that helps us prepare for the week ahead.
This routine needs to consists of various self-care practices that will help you get ready for the week ahead. It’s important to have a routine that helps you unwind from a busy weekend, or to restore energy from a relaxing weekend, because it’ll also help you reset and be emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared for the upcoming week.
Sounds daunting but it’s a lot easier than you think. Continue reading to learn what I do to get ready for the new week. You may just find that you can incorporate some of these practices as your own.
Related Posts: 3 Ways You’re Doing Self-Care Wrong
-
Make a list
Every Sunday before I go to bed, I write in my planner all the things that need to get done for each specific day of the week. That way when Monday comes, I can just hit the ground running. Writing out everything I need to do for the week also helps me keep my mind organized, and takes away a lot of pressure to complete as many things as I can in a single day.
Having specific things to do on specific days allows for me to have plenty of time in the day to engage in self-care, spend time with my family, take part in my hobbies, as well as do other activities that are not on the agenda of things to do for the day.
If Mondays are hard for you this is something you may want to give a try. You don’t necessarily need a planner but you should keep a list of things to do somewhere you have access to. This can be in your phone, on a calendar (wall or desk), a mini planner you carry in your bag or purse, or even on a piece of paper that you carry around in your pocket.
You can also keep a list of things to do for the day if you don’t want to write out things to do for the week. Honestly, it’s just a matter of whatever works best for you.
-
Meditate
This is something else that I do every Sunday. I have found meditation to be a great tool to help me organize my mind and prepare for the week ahead. Meditating allows me to be able to take some time to focus on myself. This is also the time when I will do a lot of manifestation.
I usually meditate anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, engaging in a combination of deep breathing exercises and verbally manifesting love and positivity in my life. Mediation is not something that comes easy and naturally to everyone, so if you do decide to give this a try and you don’t feel like anything is happening, don’t be frustrated or worried that it’s not working.
I recommend finding a room where you can be alone for the allotted time that works best for you. Just simply sit on the floor with your legs crossed, arms resting on top of your legs with your palms facing the sky (this is how we take in energy), and engage in slow deep breaths. After a couple rounds of breathing simply say out loud something you want for your life, like “I will be a successful writer”, then resume to deep breathing for a couple rounds before manifesting again.
Related Posts: The Positive Health Benefits of Doing Yoga
-
Spend some time reading
Reading is by far one of my favorite past times and it takes me back to a time in my life when stress didn’t exist. I make a point to do this every single night before bed, I find it to be very relaxing. Not only do I read every night before bed, but I also make a point to read most of the day on Sundays if I have nothing else going on.
I have such a happy memory and emotion attached to reading which is why I try to engage in it as often as I can. Even if you don’t have this same relationship with reading it’s still something you can give a try. Find a good book that you can curl up with for about an hour, a quiet place where you can be alone and away from distractions, and set your mind free.
Currently I’m reading Eldest, the second book in the Eragon series. There are literally tons of books that you can read, you just have to find good book in a genre that most interests you. If you’re still unsure about where to start looking for a good book, I have also a list of some of my favorite books that I highly recommend you read. Just simply click this highlighted link to check out the list right now.
-
Meal prep for the week
This is another thing that I try to do every Sunday. I find spending time meal prepping meals for the week helps to clear up extra time in my schedule for the week. When meal prepping, I try to prep all dinner meals for the week in advance since cooking dinner is the most time-consuming part of my day. However, there are times when I will meal prep lunch in addition to dinner, just lunch, or maybe only dinner for 2-3 days of the week.
This varies every week because it really just depends on what my week looks like for me. If cooking dinner is one of the biggest tasks you have to complete for the day this may be something that you want to give a try. Of if you find that you are constantly spending money to buy lunch, you may want to start meal prepping your lunch for the week. This will you save a ton of extra time in the week.
Related Posts: How to Live Your Best Life: 8 Books You Need to Read to Help You Get Started NOW!
-
Create goals
This is a big one. We often times focus on all the responsible adult things that have to get done for the week and not enough time on all the fun things that could get done for the week. Honestly, one of the main reasons that I write out everything to do for the week is because I like to set weekly goals as well. These are goals that are completely personal and revolve around my hobbies, career, and health.
My goals vary from week to week depending on what areas in my life I feel need the most attention at the moment. These will be goals such as write for 5 minutes in my journal every morning when I wake up, or maybe even to create new content for the blog. Whatever my goals are I ensure that they are things that I am passionate about and will help improve some aspect of my life.
This is something that you can easily incorporate into your week. Just simply set one goal that is outside of your responsibilities for the week that you would like to achieve, and then work on it a little bit every day until the week is over with.
-
Practice gratitude
This is such a life changing practice that anyone can do. All too often we wake up every morning and go through the day just living our life as we usually do. We don’t ever think to take the time to be grateful for everything we have in life, and to acknowledge how blessed we are to live the life that we live, even if it’s not the “best” life.
Gratitude was something that I rarely practiced.
Now every morning I like to take the time to practice gratitude. To do this I just say out loud thank you for all the things in my life that I may take for granted, or things that I am thankful to have that others may not have. Practicing gratitude and giving thanks is usually a result of whatever may be on my mind at the moment, or around something that may be weighing on my shoulders.
You too can practice gratitude daily. All it takes is a couple of minutes to reflect on what you have in your life that is working for you, and simply giving thanks to the universe for allowing you to have it. That’s it, nothing less and nothing more.
Related Posts: 10 Self-Care Activities for A Stressful Day
-
Get up early
I struggle with this daily but I do find waking up early in the morning allows for me to have more time in the day. Usually when I’m up early in the morning it’s to ensure that I get in a workout for the day. However, you can get up early in the morning for other reasons. Maybe this is to get a head start on some work for school or your job, maybe it’s to cook breakfast for your family, to go on a morning walk, or maybe just to have some time to yourself. Whatever the reason is totally up to you. Afterall, the early bird gets the worm, so how will you spend your time?
-
Keep a journal
Journaling is something that I love to do and I have found it to be very helpful with my thoughts. I’ll journal for a number of reasons. Whether that’s to get something off my chest or to reflect on my day, journaling is a great way for me to let go of things that are weighing on me so that they don’t weigh on the rest of my week. If you’re someone who tends to keep things bottled in, or maybe you don’t take the necessary time to vent or just talk about your day with others, this may be something that you want to try.
Keeping a journal is very simple. Just find a journal that you can keep close to your bed, and the perfect time of day for you to write.
Related Posts: Controlling the Overwhelm: 10 Things to Do to Relieve Yourself of Stress
-
Have a bedtime routine
Creating a routine for bed has been one of the best decisions I have ever made! I use to busy myself with things that needed to get done for the day, and try to get a head start on things to do for the next day up until my bedtime. I would just crawl right into bed and think that I was going to pass out and be good to go for the next day.
Boy was I wrong.
Exhausting yourself up until the very moment when you go to bed is not going to help you get a better sleep at night, and fall asleep right away. If anything, it’s going to keep you awake for more hours of the night because you’ve already tricked your mind into thinking about the next day. You can help yourself get a better rest every night by creating a bedtime routine.
For me this usually involves hygiene related activities, as well as journaling, reading, and stretching. Doing all these things helps me unwind and relax, and wash away the hard work for the day. I also find that it helps me reset my body by releasing any tension I may be holding all over my body.
This is something you can easily do as well. Just simply find those little activities that help you shut down for the day, and make a habit out of engaging in them daily before bed. You’ll be getting quality sleep in no time.
-
Positive affirmations
Last but not least practice engaging in positive affirmations daily. I do this every morning. All you do when saying positive affirmations is simply say positive things about yourself out loud. This can be anything from “I am beautiful from the inside out”, to “I am smart and because of that I will always be successful in life”. Positive affirmations are a great confidence booster and can dramatically change how you get through the day/week.
When you put positive energy out in the world you are bound to take all that positive energy back in. So, practice starting your day with positive affirmations.
What do you do to help you have the best week?
-Xo
Kimora
