Make Monday Better

(cursor clicks) (bright music) Headspace Studios. (serene music) Hi, my name is Dora and I'm one of the meditation teachers here at Headspace. Welcome to the final episode of the "Sunday Scaries." My hope for you, and for me too, is that we started to see Sundays and Mondays in a new light and begin a more positive approach to both. So much of our experience is defined by our mind, by our perception. Ultimately, all of it is. And by now, maybe you've started to notice that our perceptions of Sunday and Monday can really impact our outlook on the week. We might exit the weekend a bit apprehensive about what Monday has in store for us, but ultimately, we can wake up on a Monday morning and choose, to some extent, how we're going to approach that day, how we're going to approach the stress that comes with modern society, and ultimately, how we perceive and experience what happens to us during the day because ultimately, we are in control of our perception and thoughts. Something to practice before, during, and after the Sunday scaries is taking the time to be really clear about how we're approaching the day. I like to journal and even visualize how I want Monday and my week to look and feel like. Remember, the feeling is important, and I get it. We've all had Mondays where something bad happened, but we've also had Mondays that felt worse than they actually were, and that's something to be aware of. It's not necessarily what's happening to us, but it's how we're perceiving and approaching it. Equally, we've probably all had Mondays where everything's gone very smoothly, but it still hasn't felt that good. And we've all had Mondays that have gone very smoothly and it's felt great. The common denominator here is the mind. The mind ultimately is responsible for defining our experience of a Monday, of any day, and of any moment. So take a moment right now just to get comfortable. Eyes open and taking a deep breath. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you breathe out, just gently closing the eyes, allowing the body to soften, feeling the weight of the body press down. And as you become more aware of the body slowing down, just begin to notice the movement of the breath and the body, that rising and falling sensation. So this is home. This is our anchor; a point we can come back to at any time during the day tomorrow. If it feels like the day's getting out of hand, if we feel like we're being overwhelmed in some way, slip away for a moment or two. Sit down, take a deep breath, and remind yourself of this feeling. Just allowing the body to breathe. Allowing any thoughts to come and go and just reconnecting with that feeling of being a little more grounded, a little more calm, a little more...