The “Mindful and Compassionate Reentry” Practices

It’s Monday morning. And for us in the States, it’s a Monday after a holiday break. I love my work and I look forward to seeing my clients and spending time writing. But I also miss hanging with my family and having such a lovely time being together. There’s always a little (and sometime big) sadness in me on Monday morning.

Our family had a really full and lovely week of vacation (we took the whole week off!). And as I woke up this morning, I was noticing that quiet sadness in me.  I’ll miss my babies as they head off to school today. I will miss the togetherness we had. (And don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t ALL great. I was sick with a cold and other things and i threw up for three hours on our way home from Atlanta!).

So how do we reenter the work week and go back to “daily life”?

Here are five ways I just shared in the private Facebook community of my Compassion Coaching clients and people who have taken a course with me.  After I shared, I thought, “Let me share with the wider community, too! We all could use these practices!”)

So no matter if your holiday break was “less than desirable” or if you had an incredible holiday, these practices are for you.

5 Mindful and Compassionate Reentry Practices:

1.  Pause and acknowledge what’s here.
Pause for a moment. Be extra kind and gentle with yourself.  Acknowledge it’s okay to feel whatever you are feeling. (That includes relief, sadness, tiredness, regret!).

2.  Slow down.
Just go slow. Don’t start your day with a rush of adrenaline. Just slow it down for a bit. Give yourself that gift.  It’s an act of self-compassion.

3.  Seek softness.
Feel the warmth of the soft covers around you. Feel the soft towels around your body after you shower. Put on soft clothing. Feel your hands around a warm cup of tea or coffee.

4.  Cultivate gratitude.
Go for the simplest of things – you have a body to move and get dressed and eat. You have heat!  You have running water.

5.  Notice Delight.
Place your attention on the simplest of pleasures in your morning. As I was in the bathroom this morning, I looked outside our window as I always do.  And I noticed the beautiful sunrise.  “My God,” I thought, “it’s beautiful.”  And I paused to acknowledge how such a simple thing like a sunrise can be just the delight we need to soften our wired nervous systems and put a leap in our hearts!

It’s not about dismissing the “hard” or “challenging.”  It’s about acknowledging what’s here and placing our attention where we want it.  It’s about going gently and slowly and kindly with ourselves – on a Monday morning after a holiday break — or any day in our lives!

I’ll leave you with a simple Haiku:

How about you?  Do share a pic or delight or practice you have for reentry!  I’d love to hear!