For many of us, our days start with a couple of snooze hits on the alarm, followed by a begrudged roll over to scroll through social media. We stay in a half-conscious limbo until we pour coffee down our gullets and our senses are startled to respond to the barrage of public transport, people, and noise. Mornings can be hard and although, we can say the day picked and you eventually felt ok, your day can be made so much better than ok with a small amount of mindful action first thing in the morning.
Each day can pass you by. Sometimes, we just want the day to pass by but when we take the time to value each morning and each new opportunity with sacred tinted glasses, we do something very powerful. We actually begin to live our life more fully and ultimately, more enjoyably.
Our activities, our work, and our duties can seem to be what makes up life and this is partly true. But when we are going from one thing to the next – endlessly and never stopping to just be – we become functioning and productive, but our minds become busy, overloaded, and stressed. This stress is not healthy for us, and the bad feeling it gives us is an indicator that we are out of balance. We are so much more than creatures, producing things and tick off lists. We are spirits having a human experience and have been given a one-in-a-billion chance of even being here. It might sound cheesy or cliché, but each day truly is a gift and when we take the time to really begin our day with this gratitude in our hearts – we set our energy for the day – like, aligning to a radio frequency that continually plays in the back of our minds. We are not victims of life’s assault. We can be the creator of our story, where the storybook begins each morning when you open your eyes.
You’ve got to find what’s right for you. There is no one correct recipe that will suit everybody’s tastes. Discovering what your perfect morning routine will be is a journey into your own individual self. Here are some general outlines that are tried and tested to help you start your day positively:
6 Ways To Begin Your Day With
1. Gratitude
Take 5 minutes of the morning to write down or meditate on at least 5 things that you are genuinely grateful for. The simpler the better, but it’s really about finding that heartfelt connection.
2. Self-Expression
Take a moment to check in with yourself sincerely. How are you feeling? How can you be with that and express that in the moment? Feeling our emotions fully and acknowledging them can help clear them and stop you from acting moody or reactive at someone. On the other hand, a check-in with yourself might result in a big smile and a dance around the room. Either way, connect and get in touch with the real you and give her/him some space to be exactly who and how you are.
3. Movement
Stretch! Trust me no one ever regretted stretching when they wake up, and you can help prevent injury too. Don’t forget to breathe!
4. Recall Your Dreams
Dreams and the dream state are deeply mysterious and can leave us feeling ‘off’, perplexed, disgruntled, and sometimes even aggressive or tearful. Although no one can definitively claim what dreams are, there are a lot of people who argue the process of recording your dreams can help you in your waking life. I have personally been witness to this and been taught by people linked to deeply ancient teachings that revere our dreams to be integral to our waking lives – and who believe, we have simply forgotten this wisdom and we’ve forgotten how to read and understand them.
As I was taught, our dreams are like mirrors to our waking life and the more we can remember them, the easier we can use them as tools for personal development – as they are reflections of our deepest nature, our unconscious. The more you remember them, the easier it will become. When you note them down, note: the place and the ‘headline’ – if you had to sum it up and how you felt. By looking at those three things and comparing/reflecting it with your waking life, you will learn a lot about your true self and stop those weird dream feelings from following you during the day.
5. Stillness
Before you have spoken to anyone or looked at your phone or had coffee, find a quiet comfortable place you can sit upright with your back straight and closed eyes and breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth several times. Use the focus on your breath to still you and bring you fully into the moment. Find your ‘happy place’ – may it be a feeling or something you visualize – find the place within you that is always fine. We all have it. Use this moment of stillness to mentally set your tone for the day.
Imagine yourself taking this good feeling with you throughout the day, throughout your encounters, challenges, and stresses and see yourself remaining calm and connected to this deep part of yourself which is always serene, always neutral, and anchored. Breathe this feeling/image into your whole body, open your eyes, have a little stretch and get on with your day.
6. Action
Make a list of all the things you want to complete that day. Don’t make it unrealistic! Have a ‘main list’, which has goals to be achieved over the month and then each day, take from that what is most important and what can be realistically achieved. Don’t set yourself up for failure, but do enjoy ticking off all those things you did at the end of the day. It will help to give your life a sense of achievement, a steady knowingness that you’re taking care of yourself and making progress towards your goals, manageably.
