It’s Monday. How do you look at the first day of the work week? Trust me I understand all to well how it feels to have a weekend go by in what feels like an hour. When you are driving into work, your phone has been ringing non stop, you won’t even look at email yet and your fire gear has holes in it from the non stop explosions and wild fires that have been burning on the work front and the home front. Monday comes along and all you want to do is find a cave on a remote island that has nothing but a nice cozy bed to make up the last decade of lost sleep. Running away to escape reality for the grand majority is not an option so what can be done to lessen the impact of the dreaded Monday monster?
This is where self care really needs to kick in. If you listen to the morning routines of the most successful people globally they all pretty much agree your morning routine sets your day. (This should be done every morning not just Mondays.) I don’t know about you but for me I’m not the bubbly morning person who gets up at 4am to work out, jog or do a fancy routine. Nor do I see myself becoming this person. I have adopted that there is no phone or internet the first hour I’m awake. The first 30 min I am awake I’m still in bed cozy and I deep breathe and list my gratitude for the new day. I say names of those in my life I’m concerned about and send them a prayer, I say the name of those I love and send them a prayer thanking them for being in my life, I even say a prayer to those who attempt to make my life difficult in hopes they find happiness to replace the bitterness and anger that plagues them. I list what I am grateful for, the fact I have a home and a warm bed to do this meditation, the fact I have a job I get to go to, the blessing (especially as a woman)that I am building my own business that will ultimately give me the freedom of time I want, every day a new list of things to be grateful for. I then get up let the dogs out … (yes it was me) give them treats and scritches. I’m a huge animal lover, you will hear more about my fur babies in the future. Then I do my morning face routine. Don’t worry guys this is not turning into a makeup tutorial. I wash my face for one minute. (save water do not let the water run) Then I use a toner, then an eye cream, then a serum, then my moisturizer and last and most importantly sunscreen. This whole routine takes less than 5 min. It’s my ritual and non negotiable. Well I wash my face in the shower….stop. Take literally a few minutes to make its own ritual. Take those 3-4 minutes and look at yourself in the mirror and love yourself. Your skin is your largest organ. It’s not just our wrapper to keep our insides inside, Our face is what we show the world, most importantly it’s what we look at when judging ourselves all day everyday. If you can not take 5 minutes every morning and every night for yourself then we have another conversation to have. Take those precious minutes to care for yourself physically and emotionally. My goal is to help you look in that mirror and walk away chin held high ready to go out and embrace your day, even on the days that far away cave is calling your name. It may seem daunting now but with consistent little moves like taking 5 min to wash your face … Monday’s will become a day of possibility not dread.
Until next time Carpe Diem!!!