Have you noticed that a Monday Moment is in fact, a moment or so in time? Sounds silly I know, but it is just a moment, much like all of the other events in our world. Yet, how or rather, what is the reasoning behind our tendency to take things that are merely a moment and make them much larger than they are. For example, a stressful moment is still just a moment or so. A happy moment is also just a moment. And the reality is that either event takes up a similar amount of time, but our perspective on either changes depending on that moment’s impact.

Let me be more clear. This time of year there are things that stress us out. There is also more to do in our lives and more people to see and visit with and spend time with. The demands can seem overwhelming and create many a meltdown. Yet, the reality is that just like the day when you got the best news of your life, this, too, is merely a moment in time. But with the stressful moments, we make a big deal out of them, feel the stress in our bodies for days at a time, maybe even complain around the water cooler and thus prolong the challenging moment into what seems like forever. So, in an effort to mitigate some of our stress and change our perspective, this time of year, let’s keep these things in mind:

Good and Bad moments are still just moments and the phrase “this too shall pass” has never been more applicable.

The moments you focus on are the ones that will appear to last the longest….so, keep your focus on the good moments – finding that perfect gift, the smile of a child, the finish of a workday, a great call or visit, etc. The goal of course being to make the good moments last just as long as we feel like the rough ones do.

And finally, remember that almost everyone is experiencing stress and strain right now and that an occasional moment of empathy is just as contagious as that moment when you yell at the driver next to you who cut you off. The truth is they probably were thinking about their list of things to do, just as you were. Give yourself and them a break and keep one more stressful moment from catching on. Stress is contagious you know, but so is all the good stuff we can experience this time of year.

They are all moments in time and if you choose to, you could become a collector of great moments, instead of the record keeper of all the crummy things that may be going on. Which would you choose this Monday?

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