Love Is the Doorway Back to You: One Breath, One Journal Prompt at a Time
One Quote - Two Actions - Three Journal Prompts
Welcome to the One Micro-Mindful Minute, your guide to weaving micro-mindfulness into your day without adding one more thing to your calendar.
Hi y’all,
There’s a quiet ache that comes from tending to everything but yourself, and calling it love.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely someone who gives deeply to your work, your people, your world, and yet, somehow, joy feels just out of reach.
Not because you’re broken. Not because you’re doing it wrong.
But because life has taught you to outrun your own presence.
I know this feeling. I’ve lived it, and I’ve coached others like you through it.
Micro-mindfulness is the quiet rebellion against the idea that joy comes after the to-do list is done.
It’s a way to return, gently, honestly, to your real self through small, soulful practices that meet you exactly where you are.
This week’s practice is an invitation to pause and let love guide you back to joy.
You don’t need to change your life. Just change your moment.
Let’s begin there.
Micro-Mindfulness Tips
1. Quote to Ponder
The true source of joy is love—love of God, love of beauty, love of wisdom, love of another human being, it does not matter which. It is all one love: a joyful awareness of dissolving boundaries of our ordinary narrow self, of being one with reality beyond, of being made whole.
~ from The Door to Joy by Irma Lalecki in "Heron Dance"
Reflection and Journaling for this week: Where Joy Begins
In the busyness of our everyday lives, especially as women and allies who carry the weight of responsibilities, expectations, and care for others, it’s easy to forget that joy is not something to chase.
It’s something to return to.
This quote reminds us that joy is not in productivity or perfection, but in presence.
Love, in its many forms, whether in a tender glance, a deep breath under the trees, or a moment of clarity, dissolves the false walls we build around ourselves.
It invites us to soften. To reconnect. To remember that we are already whole.
Micro-mindfulness isn’t about fixing ourselves.
It’s about pausing long enough to see that the boundaries of our exhaustion are not the boundaries of our being.
A mindful moment of love, for beauty, for someone else, or simply for the breath you’re taking, can be a doorway back to your true self.
This is where joy begins.
Mindful Journal Prompt:
Where did love meet me today?
Pause and reflect: Was it in a moment of stillness, a conversation, a leaf fluttering in sunlight? Let your pen trace the thread of love that connected you to something larger than yourself today, even if for a second.
2. Mindful Actions
Try one actionable tip for practicing micro-mindfulness this week: a brief activity that takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
Mindfully open and close a door, pause halfway, and take a breath.
Do a yoga pose and hold it with full attention.
3. Journal Prompts
Take a moment to reflect on your day before journaling. When you pay attention, be mindful of what grabs your attention. (Choose one that resonates with you.)
Journal Prompt: Describe a time when you felt “not enough.” What parts of you were doing their best to belong, and how can you honor them?
Journal Prompt: What’s one thing you’re struggling with right now, and how would you speak to a friend going through the same thing?
Journal Prompt: How can showing empathy help you build stronger connections in your life?
Bonus Practice
Why Your Stress Hacks Backfire and the 5-Minute Shift That Helps You Feel Human Again
You’re not failing at stress relief.
Your strategies are just too big, too fast, or too disconnected from your real life.
If you're an overwhelmed working parent or an ambitious professional running on fumes, here's why your usual stress hacks (the apps, the wine, the wellness routines that demand an hour you don’t have) aren’t working:
They treat symptoms, not patterns. Bubble baths feel good, but they don’t change the burnout cycle. Micro-mindfulness helps you notice the pattern while it’s happening.
They expect calm before you're ready. You can’t “relax” when your nervous system is in overdrive. Micro-mindfulness starts with presence, not performance.
They require too much. If you’re exhausted, even a 10-15 minute meditation feels like a mountain. But one breath, one moment, one micro-practice? That’s doable.
Here’s the 5-minute shift that works:
Name what’s real.
Inhale, say quietly: “This is where I am.”
Exhale, ask: “What do I need right now?”
No judgment. No fixing. Just noticing.
You don’t need another hack.
You need a habit of coming home to yourself, one micro-moment at a time. That’s what helps you feel human again.
That’s it.
What resonates with you today?
You can try one of the practices this week, and let me know how it goes. I read every note.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being part of the journey. I look forward to seeing you next week.
Denise
I'm a former nun who, at midlife, pivoted to corporate life with zero business experience and became an award-winning program manager. I want to help you find stillness in the ball pit bouncy house of life.
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It’s time to take one small step toward clarity and calm. Start today.
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