Catching up: permission to rest

I noticed it over a month ago during my morning walk: a tree in our neighborhood sporting a colorful top hat. In addition, the coniferous tree needles have turned into shades of brown and gold before dropping to the…[read more]

From manic to magical: ‘Funday Monday’

Dread Mondays? Need to modify your mindset? I can relate. With that conundrum in mind, I arrived at an idea to transition from weekends into the work week by experimenting with something I call Funday Monday. Yes, you heard right. For me, weekends equate to “hustle” and “R&R.” On Saturdays, I cram as much to-dos as I can into the day. Although I realize that may not work for everyone, I like knowing that Sundays represent rest, recreation, reconnection and reset. And, although Mondays mean “day job,” I’ve started sprinkling—throughout—a bit of weekend fun. This might look like an early morning trek through the mountains or include a mid-day walk to McDonald’s for an iced mocha; or maybe a mani-pedi and/or movie marathon to round out the day. You might choose to meditate, meet a friend, schedule a massage or crank up your favorite music. With just a tiny amount of imagination, you can transform Mondays from manic to magical.

How do you feel about Mondays?

Image courtesy of IamTaew at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

No. 1 remedy to burnout

Image source: healthline.com.

I couldn’t put my finger on it. Barring all-things 2020, my mood contradicted a grateful heart. Head spinning, I opened my devotional book and, although not “dated” for that particular Sunday, the passage focused on the Sabbath as a day of rest. I don’t know about you, but I tend to view Sunday as a “catch-up” day, in which I attempt to wrap up the previous six days’ worth of tasks. Then, by the time Monday morning rolls around, I’m already itching for the weekend. Yet, as I read that rest serves as a simple remedy to burnout and its symptoms, I saw myself reflected between the pages. In that moment, I shifted to a “Sunday slowdown” mindset and removed the heaping helpings that crowded my “plate”—all a product of my own doing—and proceeded to spend the day regrouping. This time when Monday rolled around, it didn’t arrive as a surprise or a burden, but rather a clean slate.

What does rest look like for you?

Practice the pause

While scrolling through Facebook the other day, I paused on a friend’s wall whose recent post read: Practice the pause. When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. And when you pause, pray. The simple definition of pause is a temporary stop or rest. My post, “Sweet and simple…,” stresses my intent to simplify this year, including my speech. And I believe if we observe the art of pause—when in doubt, when angry, when tired, when stressed, whenever it would benefit the situation—while we rest in prayer or in silence during that temporary stop, we might be able to hear the greater needs of others. And then offer to meet those needs with our provisions. It doesn’t cost us anything to pause… except maybe a second chance we’ll never require. But it takes discipline to practice anything, even stopping or resting. It’s a process, this life thing. Be gentle with yourself.

How easy is it for you to practice the pause?

Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Coping with stress

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.
~ Hans Selye

Referring to my post It’s all in my head … or is it? and the need to eliminate the stress-causing elements in my life, I’m feeling stressed just thinking about it.  For one, it will require some big changes that I’m not sure I’m up for.  In the meantime, one of my best girlfriends told me I need to rest, heal and trust.  I wrote these words on a post-it note which I keep transferring to each new day in my Franklin.  And before I plan on making any life-altering decisions, I’m going to try something first.  Although it hasn’t worked in the past, knowing it may improve my health is a strong impetus for me to try harder.  The idea is to step out in confidence with my actions, in anticipation that my feelings will catch up.  While this should result in less stress, maybe it’s also a way to hang on to my hope for Someday.  Or perhaps it will change the outcome of my future altogether.

What is the secret to eliminating stress from your life?