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MBG 5 Life Changing Ways to Start Your Day
When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you do? Look at your phone? Hit the snooze button? Hit it again? When we first wake up we are open to a number of influences. If we wake up and see that it’s rainy and stormy outside, it might put us in a funk thinking about the traffic problems the weather will cause. Or do you wake up, look over at your spouse, and give thanks for another day?
When we wake up we are in a very vulnerable frame of mind. Waking directly from our night time world of dreams and semi-consciousness, doesn’t it take you a few minutes before your brain registers that it’s morning? Ancient tradition teaches that our souls travel between worlds while we are sleeping. Perhaps our first thought or first words in the morning should be along the lines of “I am so grateful that my soul has been restored to my body this day.”
The way in which you begin your morning, those first 5 or 10 minutes, will set the tone for the remainder of your day. So if you start off by checking Facebook, the news with its latest tragedy, your email, or text messages, aren’t you already saying that the world outside and what is going on out there is more important than the world inside?
Do you remember when you were a child, how you didn’t want to get out of bed, you wanted to snuggle, wake up slowly, share your dreams? But usually someone was pushing you out of bed to get up, get ready for school, get dressed, etc.? That child is still alive and well inside you. When you wake up and check your phone or laptop first thing, you are telling that child that what they feel and want is unimportant.
Why not try a little experiment? For just one week, start your way in one of the following 5 ways. If you use your phone as your alarm, you can still use it, just turn off the alarm then turn the phone over and wait just 10 minutes before you check it. After one week, see if you don’t feel better during the day by starting off every morning in a very different way.
1. Write down your dreams
Although most people think that interpreting their dreams takes a skilled therapist, even taking just a few minutes to write down as much of the nights dreams as you remember can help you to show respect for that vulnerable space between night and morning. You might find that it fills you with an energy that comes from your very soul instead of from an energy derived from technology. You don’t have to understand what your dreams are trying to tell you, but even if you take just one image from that dream and let your subconscious mind work on it during the day, you might find that you have insights into your psyche you never imagined before.
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2. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is something like meditation. It can help you come into the present moment slowly, and ground yourself to the today, to what’s here and now. Just 3-5 minutes of mindfulness will set a tone for the day that will help keep you anchored to your base should your workday become hectic and stressful.
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3. Keep a Journal
When was the last time you kept a journal? High school? College? Keeping a journal is perhaps one of the best ways to get to know the wonderful you that deep down you really are. It can really help you on a journey towards more self-knowledge and feelings of love for yourself. If you find that when you write it brings you negative feelings then you need to rethink how you are writing. Effective journal writing should make things more clear for you and leave you feeling more grounded. This is a great way to start your day. Start by writing just 3 or 4 sentences about things you are grateful for or positive thoughts about all the good things you expect to happen that day. This alone will put a positive spin on the day that is sure to last.
4. Do a few yoga poses
Yoga is a mind and body practice that, although classes are very popular right now, is best done in the privacy of your home. There are many excellent yoga videos that can teach you the basic moves you need. Once you learn the basics, you can do these same yoga poses in the morning to some beautiful music (Find out the best yoga poses). What better way to start the day?
5. Open a window or step outside
What a breath of fresh air, literally! What is more positive than fresh air and sunshine on your face to reconnect you to mother earth? Bad weather outside? Is it raining so there is no sun? No problem, you can still take a few breaths of fresh air under an umbrella or go for broke, let some of that rain fall on your face! Reconnecting with nature will leave you feeling fresh, clean, and with a smile on your face.
You can spend your first few minutes of the morning rushing around, diving head first into technology, or you can fill yourself with positive energy. The choice is yours.
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