by Shel

Created on: March 22, 2010

Mornings are a fresh start to a new day.  It's an awakening, that you are guaranteed every day, no matter how poorly your day may have ended the night before.  It's beautiful to have such a gift, and a crying shame to waste it.

It's so easy to jump out of bed, and get your day going quickly, and you miss the most glorious time of the day.  It takes a little bit of planning, becoming self aware, and practice but there are many quick and simple ways that you can start your day off on the right foot, if you just simply make the time and make it a priority.  Beginning the day on a positive note, not only helps you feel better first thing in the morning, but it seems to have a spiraling effect on the rest of the day.  One good thought, turns to another and another.  Before you know it, just the act of starting your day out purposely positive, comes back around all day long. 

Here are just a few simple acts that you can implement into your morning, with very little time or effort.  Try starting your morning 15 minutes or a half hour earlier than the rest of your house wakes up.  Make a slow and conscious effort to think positive.  Keep a positive thought journal next to your bed, and scribble down these thoughts every day.  At the end of the day, you can reflect on how these thoughts kept you centered through out the day, and use them to continue into a gratitude list at the end of your day.  It's a perfect way to begin and end with grateful reflection.

Another quick morning routine, is a 15 minute mindful meditation session.  Find a quiet place to sit in the morning, where you can just focus on your breathes, the sounds of the morning and letting any stressful thoughts flow peacefully and quietly, in your mind and then out.  And then focus on letting it go.  We can't always have a stress free life, and unfortunately life is at a rapid pace, more often than not, but we can limit and not allow it to control our life. 

With nicer weather on the horizon, its also a perfect time to get out and get more exercise.  Waking up even 15 minutes can give you plenty of time for a nice walk, and time to think, and be alone with the morning sounds of birds, and the sun rising. It's a way to get in touch with nature and really take the time to reduce  your stress before your day begins.

If you have a hobby, such as writing, photography, beading, drawing, music, etc.  you can easily fit in a few moments, of writing in a journal, taking an alternative route to work, and getting some great photos, maybe make yourself or a co-worker a fun pair of earrings.  All of these take literally moments in time to do, and can make such an impact on your morning and others, if you just make the time.

There are many other things that on a daily basis you should do, that not only reduce your stress level through out the day, but have an overall impact on how your brain and body reacts to stress.  The basics often get neglected when we get into stressful situations, and our body, mind and soul has a tendency of spiralling out of control.  If you can manage 7-8 hours of sleep, try and eat 3 healthy meals, drink plenty of water, and I have found that it helps to take a B complex and multi-vitamin every day, you can certainly minimize what stressful situations will do to you.  It's really a matter of making the time, and conscious effort. 

A few minutes is a start, and certainly better than doing nothing at all.

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