Mondays can arrive with a lot of noise. The inbox, the list, the little voice that says this is the week you finally get it all together. If you woke up already tired, you are not behind. You are human.
So here is a softer way to start. You do not need a brand new you. You only need to sit down for one quiet minute and begin again, right where you are.
A fresh start does not have to be a big one
We often picture a fresh start as a dramatic turn. New habits, new routines, new everything. But most real beginnings are small. A deep breath before the day gets loud. A glass of water. A window opened a little.
Your chair is a good place for small beginnings. It already knows you. It has held you on easy days and hard ones. Let it hold you for this one minute, too.
Today’s practice: three breaths and one word
Try this before you pick up your phone, or whenever you find a quiet moment.
- Sit all the way back. Let the chair take your weight. Feel your feet on the floor.
- Take three slow breaths. On the first, simply notice you are here. On the second, let your shoulders drop. On the third, let last week stay in last week.
- Choose one word for the week. Not a goal. A word. Something like gentle, steady, open, enough, or patient.
- Write it somewhere you will see it. A sticky note on the mirror, the corner of your planner, the lock screen of your phone.
That is all. When the week gets busy, your word can be a small handrail. You do not have to live it perfectly. You only have to remember it now and then.
If your word feels far away by Wednesday
That is okay. Beginning again is not something you do once on Monday. You can do it Tuesday afternoon, or Thursday night, or in the middle of a hard conversation. Sit down, take three breaths, find your word. Begin again. Grace is not a one-time offer. It is new every morning.
A little company for the week
If you would like a soft prompt to start each day, the Calm prompts are there whenever you need them. A minute of quiet, a kind sentence, and back to your day.
Some people like to pull a card from one of the My Chair To Yours card decks on Monday mornings and keep it by their coffee all week. And if you would like a gentle note in your inbox now and then, you can join the newsletter.
Whatever this week holds, you get to meet it one breath at a time. Your chair will be right here when you need to sit down and start again.
My Chair To Yours — mychairtoyours.com — Keri Lyn Turner