Photo: leszekglasner
Here's something I just wanted to share with you. Maybe it can inspire you to tweak your morning routine a bit. Maybe you're saying something like: "My morning routine has got nothing wrong with it" and maybe you're right. But wouldn't it be fun to try something different? It's when we change our routines that new, brilliant ideas come come to life!
So here's my thought:
I'm sure you've heard a lot about mindfulness and meditation which are both excellent things. But do you do them? On a daily basis? Lots of the people I'm in contact with don't quite get round to doing them and I can't say that I blame them because I'm one of them! But before beating anybody up, here's what you could start doing that won't feel like an immense effort, I hope ;-).
When you wake up in the morning, do you roll out of bed to prevent you from going back to sleep? Do you rush to the shower before being fully awake? Do you get your kids up, being just a tiny bit grumpy when they aren't quick enough, swallow your coffee and bundle everybody into the car before having had a thought that wasn't about being late? I think most people do but I think there's a different way of doing it that doesn't require an enormous amount of time and makes life so much more fun. Why don't you try it?
So if you want to try it out this is how you could go about it:
When you wake up, instead of pulling yourself out of bed, try sitting up (you don't want to fall asleep again, do you?). Then set some intentions! You could get out of bed and light a candle, get your medition cushion out and start meditating for the best part of the morning. But for some of us, this doesn't seem to be working! But why should we miss out on all the benefits of meditation and mindfulness just because we can't comply with the format? We too can have our own little moment of meditation, our own little (rebel) mindfulness workout!
So you could start your day from the comfort of your bed by setting some intentions. You could ask yourself:
How do I want to go through the day?
What am I focusing on today?
What are the projects that need my attention today?
How am I contributing to my goal?
What new possibilities am I inviting in to my life today?
Or any other question that you feel relevant. Then you could spend five minutes imagining yourself going through the day in a perfectly calm atmosphere. Any hassle? You just stay calm and composed. Any questions? You've got the answer. Time's short? You just become more efficient.
Do you get the idea? That way you prepare your brain to deal in a perfectly adequate way with the challenges you could encounter. Instead of having some rash reactions to problems, you've primed your brain with a different way of tackling them! You can also plan your day ahead from your bed! With a clear mind, you can figure out how you can get everything fitted in so that you won't be inviting in stress and guilt during the day.
Try it for a few days and see whether this doesn't help you eliminate stress. I think it also helps you feel good about what you do because you'll be in a proactive mode instead of in a reactive mode. Does that make sense?
If you do daily meditations, visualisations and stay mindful in everything you do, keep at it! You're doing great! But for the rest of us who still need to practice, I've found this to be not only effective but so much more ENJOYABLE :-)
Welcome in a new feeling of being in charge!
Let me know what works for you, please!
This was first published on Katrine Horn's blog