Monday #3 - Transition

Hello all,

I feel like this week has gone on so long, but passed by so quick at the same time. Senioritis is starting to creep in, and I feel like I've done nothing, even though all I've done is work. I've been getting back into the gym, which has been difficult for me to carve out time to do, but the release of endorphins has made me a lot more productive and way less stressed. I was thinking about what I would write about this week, and I was going to write about anxiety, but I feel like writing a post about anxiety immediately after writing about mindfulness wouldn't be a good look for my therapist. So, instead of that, I've decided to talk about Transition.

Google defines Transition as the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another, but I feel like it's a bit more than that. Sometimes your condition stays the same, but as humans, we find ways to surmount these obstacles all the time. We are constantly in a state of transition, even when our circumstances are slow to shift. Part of understanding how I transition best has been a journey in increasing my mindfulness, which I talked about last week. I've found that when I have a more cyclical mindset, I feel more stuck, as compared to when I focus on the bigger picture.

For example, let's take the concept of Monday. Most people hate Mondays. It means the beginning of the work week, the end of the weekend, and generally, a more stressful and busy time for everyone. Unfortunately, I can't change the start of the work week, or the fact that I will always have 3 assignments due after my Monday night class. What I can change is how I react to Mondays. Part of this reaction has been creating this blog, and transitioning my mindset from the cyclical "ugh, it's Monday again" to a more flexible "taking life one Monday at a time". While my circumstances stay the same, I have successfully added one positive thing opposite from the stack of negative things about Monday. I've realized that the more positive things I add on the scale, I can actually outweigh the negative associations in my mind, therefore, transitioning my outlook on Mondays.

Of course, I'm not perfect, and I still spend most Sundays dreading my 6:30 a.m. alarm, but I think that being more mindful of the ways that I can transition my thinking has benefitted me in the long run. That being said, ugh... it's Monday again. Until the next one!

one Monday at a time,

Ethan