Oof,
You ever noticed how jarring that first Monday back from vacation can be?
It's like the world kept spinning while you were away and now it expects you to jump back in at full speed.
If that's where you are right now,
Maybe a little foggy,
Maybe a little grumpy,
You're in good company.
Let's not try to force focus or gratitude or definitely not productivity.
Let's just start with a breath.
Take a deep breath in and let it go.
And just keep breathing.
Let your shoulders drop a little with every exhale.
Let your jaw unclench.
Just let yourself arrive,
Even if it's not where you'd rather be.
You don't have to pretend that today is easy.
You don't have to feel ready.
All you have to do is just be here.
Just be here.
Notice your breath as it moves in and as it moves out.
Just that.
And you might find your mind drifting back to the beach or the mountains,
The quiet mornings or the laughter from the last week and that's okay.
You can let those memories drift by like clouds in the sky.
You don't have to push them away,
But you don't need to chase them either.
You're not doing anything wrong by missing it.
This part,
This coming back,
Is part of it too.
Just letting our breath be the anchor.
Something steady.
Something simple.
In and out.
In and out.
Maybe today feels like a mountain of emails and of expectations,
But you don't have to climb the whole thing at once.
You just need to take the next step.
Then the next.
Then the next.
Just sitting here.
Just breathing.
There's no need to do anything,
But just sit and breathe and be.
And if it helps,
You can try this gentle reminder on your next few breaths.
Breathing in,
This is part of the rhythm.
Breathing out,
I can meet it with kindness.
And maybe you feel some tension in the body.
That's okay.
Wherever you notice it,
Just see if you can soften it.
Five percent.
Not all the way,
Just a little bit.
Just a little bit.
Like you're not resisting the day,
But you're also not rushing into it either.
You're just easing in.
You took the time.
You unplugged.
That matters.
Now,
As you plug back in,
You can do it slowly,
Deliberately,
And with care.
You don't have to be on yet.
Just awake.
Just breathing.
Just here in this moment.
Nothing else matters but the breath.
So,
As you move into the rest of this first day back,
Let's see if you can carry a thread of that gentleness with you.
Remember,
You don't have to catch up all at once.
You don't have to feel joyful or motivated.
You just have to take the next breath.
The next step.
The next moment.
And that's enough.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you be at peace.
Thanks so much for joining me.
