They are a form of self-care, a way to fight the possibility of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or stressed, and they work for work. But what if they did in the romantic realm as well?
Have you heard of minimum Mondays? If not and you feel like that day of the week is getting on your nerves, you might be interested to know. They are touted as a form of self-care, of fighting the possibility of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or stressed by all that work entails. It means prioritizing ourselves over stressors, which will paradoxically generate better results. Your job is just a job, so prioritize, at the expense of work.
But if that Minimum Mondays thing works, why shouldn't it reflect a broader philosophy about how best to cope with life's demands? Why should it be limited to work? As reported by ‘Psychology Today' it is therefore possible that Minimum Mondays could apply to relationships.
Lasting love requires effort, and to maintain healthy relationships, couples must mitigate threats so that they do not worsen or even try to improve them. These tasks are found in everyone's daily life and range from work to friends, children or parents. In such circumstances, finding the energy needed for relationship maintenance could be stressful.
But if that Minimum Mondays thing works, why might it not reflect a broader philosophy on how best to cope with life's demands?
In today's world, one must juggle juggle managing to maintain a strong relationship while still having other aspects of daily life. Sometimes people's relationships must struggle with conflict, arguments or frustrations, which is why the Minimum Mondays approach suggests dealing with relationship stress by giving ourselves permission to work less for the relationship. Again, paradoxically, this promotes healthy relationships.
When employees embrace Minimum Mondays, they do what they must to keep their jobs, but nothing more. This philosophy, in a romantic relationship, would translate into doing as little effort as possible to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, this does not translate into being successful in the relationship, as relationships are like plants and require pampering and care to flourish. They require favorable behaviors, including social support, responsiveness, positive communication, generosity and gratitude, are crucial to help nurture.
In romantic relationships, people who think that sacrificing will come at a cost to themselves tend to be less committed to their partner.
One philosophy on Minimum Mondays is to work on your own terms and avoid self-sacrifice. What makes sacrifice a problem? Interestingly, in romantic relationships, people who think that sacrificing will come at a cost to themselves tend to be less committed to their partner and have poorer relationship functioning, according to several studies. In other words, the desire to prioritize the self by not putting in the work of the relationship (i.e., avoiding sacrifice) may be more a symptom of relationship problems than a solution.
Not sabotaging one's relationship
People who are inspired by their relationships, who see their partner as part of themselves and who are eager to grow their relationship are probably not the ones who want to do only what they need to do to maintain their relationship. If dealing with a job requires disconnecting from work, the question arises: is it the right job? Similarly, if dealing with a relationship requires disconnecting from the relationship, we might ask: is it the right relationship?
Healthy relationships are not about tolerating a partner or maintaining a relationship with minimal effort. Rather, an investment in the relationship is an investment in oneself.
Disconnection in the way described by Minimal Mondays does not resemble classic models of self-care. Healthy self-care strategies tend not to advocate avoiding or ignoring challenges. Instead, they are about techniques for maintaining thriving and vitality, and may involve restorative work such as managing sleep well and eating well and energizing work such as creating meaning and finding purpose.
When it comes to relationships, minimal effort is unlikely to support the individual or the relationships. Instead, consider how, for many people in satisfying relationships, self-care is relationship care: leisure time with a partner, humor, sexual intimacy and affectionate gestures. Investing in the fun of a relationship can be personally restorative. In fact, healthy relationships are not about tolerating a partner or maintaining a relationship with minimal effort. Rather, an investment in the relationship is an investment in oneself.
I'm a big fan of short stories about people – I'm a pro at tech and smartphones, serial literature, and writing in my spare time.
