![Picture](/uploads/5/5/0/8/55088761/2120502.jpg?296)
Yes, you heard me – the madness in my mind!. I’m one of those people!. My mind will get the best of me in no time should I allow it to run the show. I have a monkey mind, hosting too many thoughts at once and they can easily take over my emotions.
I have a brain that never slows down, and for the longest time, the first moments of each morning were the worst part of my day. I’d obsess about the things that were not going right, the thousands of things I had to do that day and who aggravated me from the day before. I would be ready to pull the covers over my head and check out for the day!
A while back I stopped my routine to test this out. Once in a while we've got to drop it all to see what is no longer needed and what is really effective. Turns out when I let go of my routine, I do not show up to the best of my ability. I’m more anxious, less capable, unfocused, and reactionary.
Oh well – research done! and back to basics now.
Conclusion: the way I start my day influences how I feel for the rest of the day! there!
So, here we go! I create a routine that supercharges my body, mind, and spirit! Put myself in the right mindset before engage with the world.
I start my morning with ritual that I find bizarre but useful, helped me start my day off on a positive note and wakeup happy:
1. Go to bed electronics-free.
Yeah! I damn challenge you on this one : ) We live in a technological age with TVs, smartphones, iPads and streaming. We can lay in bed and be entertained or may fall asleep easily, but you will not stay asleep or sleep deep. Before falling asleep I give myself at least an hour of quiet time, screen free my eyes, hold my gemstone under my pillow and run through things that I'm grateful for that happen to me during the day (sometimes I write on my diary of remarkable moment happen that day) and thanking over and over again for God that has blessed me with all those! If I had a bad un-happy experience that day, I'd imagine & turn that bad event in my head into the opposite..into exactly what I want to happen, this usually switch my feel-ill mood instantly into a happy mood..guarantee sleep good! I know.. I'm that kind of weirdo!
2. When wake up in the morning, I take a few minutes to check-in (go within). Take a few deep breaths and find something that I'm grateful for (my kids, my health, my comfy warm bed I am in, nature outside my window, my good stable job, my car, my beautiful home I live in, family who loves me). I take this time to be thankful for all that I have in my life instead of wasting my energy on thinking about what I don't have.
3. Unplug. Refrain from picking up my phone and getting bombarded with social media, emails and texts until after breakfast. Unplugging can save me a lot of time, stress and worry first thing in the morning.
4. Instead of pouncing straight out of bed, I spend 5 to 10 minutes meditating. Simply observe my breath. Breathe in for a count of 4 to 5, allowing my belly and chest to expand, and breathe out also for a count of 4 to 5 allowing everything to drop away. This allows me to create a sense of peace within and it will also help get me into a good head space before my feet touch the ground. I may do quick stretching/yoga for 5-10 min
5. Take a few moments while in the shower and/or while eating breakfast just to be present. Feel the water on my skin, taste the different flavors in my food. It feels good and it's an amazing way to consciously set my energy and intention towards my day.
6. Before breakfast I have large glass of water with half a lemon squeezed into it. This will assist with digestion and is effective in body cleansing and detoxification - it will help get things moving. Followed with my morning coffee with cream to kick-start my metabolism and fuel my body. I just had maybe 8 hours of fasting while sleeping - my body needs sustenance and is ready to be refueled, since I am not a breakfast person, coffee is my breakfast! my first meal of the day mostly 11:30am or I can go to 1:00pm sometimes. No issue! just listen to my body and eat when hungry only.
7. Feed my mind. I'd listen to a personal development YouTube channels, watch a motivational video, or listen to light music while sipping my coffee and getting ready to work.
8. Get clear about my intentions for the day. I usually yelling out a positive mantra in my head!. I visualize something awesome I want to have happen in my day. Whatever it is, give yourself direction for the day! just be clear about what it is you want your day to be. In order to create, manifest, and attract it, you must first align your heart, mind, and spirit with your intention. In other words, you truly need to feel it!
Many people don't understand the power of thoughts, because they live every day on autopilot, doing most things out of habit, and therefore they create their ugly reality unconsciously, as if they’re wearing a blindfold. But whether we’re aware of it or not, we create our reality with our thoughts and behavior - and this means we have the power to choose to be a conscious, mindful creator and change our reality to what we really want it to be. And every choice you make determines how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Now, let me ask you this: How do you start your day? Is it with gratification and happiness—or doom and gloom? A day is easily ruined if started by holding onto negativity and resentment. So when you wake tomorrow, ask yourself, do I want to think and act like I did yesterday, or do I choose to be a new me today?!