BEST PART OF WAKING UP……
Over the last several months, I began each day in a state of panic. My worries centered around poor time management and extreme fatigue. I felt as if there were not enough hours in the day to get what needed to be done, or enough energy to even get it done. I didn’t have the bandwidth to complete simple tasks that should be muscle memory at this point in my life….folding my clothes instead of leaving them in the dryer…..brushing my hair. Something had to give.
How can I change this? How do I take back control? How do highly successful and productive people live?
They get up early, and have morning rituals they practice every morning……first thing that played in my mind is that Folgers coffee commercial circa 1985- the one where Bonnie Tyler sings that famous jingle, “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!” Some of us may not be old enough to remember (it is on YouTube btw), but the gist is that the people in the commercial wake up vibrant and fresh to start their day out on the perfect note.
So I set out to make my own morning routine, to see what could happen!
I chose 3 rituals to follow every morning for 30 days:
Breath Focus
Movement
Journaling
Breath focus:
I find breathing practices to be very powerful for me. I kept it very simple and short. I would take 2-5 minutes to sit, and practice. I used 2 different methods- first method, I would count to 4 on the inhale and count down from 4 on the exhale. Second method, I would count at the end of every exhale up to 4 or 5 then start back at 1. I found that the breath focus brought some stillness to my mind, and calmed my entire body.
Movement:
I started taking a 20-30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It’s super easy, and there is no need for fancy outfits and equipment. I could literally get up and go. I noticed that my creativity and critical thinking started to really flow when doing this. Like- I’ve been having some cool epiphanies while out on my morning strolls.
Journaling:
I set the goal to write 3 pages in a journal every morning. The idea is to just write what comes to mind, and let it flow. Some of you may be familiar with the Morning Pages practice….very similar concept. Initially, it started out to be more of my to-do or should-do lists, and evolved into positive affirmations, mantras, plans, and discussions. With the way my walks were going, it made sense for me to journal afterward. There have been times when the journal entries were my anxious thoughts and feelings that were playing on repeat in my head. And I do have to say that writing them down gave me a way to release them, and put them on a shelf. Journaling has brought me tranquility and heart’s ease.
What I got from my 30 day routine?
Making it a priority to complete these rituals each morning has empowered me. I am in control of my mindset. It’s up to me to set the tone for the day I would like to have, and I have the tools to stay on course no matter what comes my way. Overall, I feel grounded and prepared- and I have the time and energy to get what I want and need accomplished.
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I invite you all to give it a go! Keep it simple and don’t overthink it. I would love to hear what you get out of it and what your rituals are!
