Tips on how you can cultivate a morning routine to help eliminate stress and anxiety.
Sadness, happiness and anger all have one thing in common. They are all fleeting emotions, meaning they come, and they go. You know what can be forever though? A peaceful existence. The way that we cultivate our mornings is crucial for setting the tone for the day. If you want to give yourself a chance to truly experience what the day has to offer, you must set the tone to be intentional with your practices and the way you move. Consistency doesn’t mean perfect; it simply means that you show up each day and simply give the max effort that’s available based on how full your cup is. As humans, we all need positive coping mechanisms that help us deal with all aspects of life, and that also includes the highs in case you were wondering.
By being intentional with your mornings, you allow yourself to first visualize what you want for yourself for that day. Maybe you just want to have a good day, you would like for it to be positive and so you can cultivate that for yourself by doing things that bring about those feelings. For example, an intentional morning for me may include me doing Yoga, Praying, Meditating and Reading Scripture. Sometimes I do one or the other, sometimes I do them all. It just depends on how I feel about the day and what area of myself do I feel needs the most attention in the morning. I do these things alone, your intentional morning is just that, YOUR INTENTIONAL MORNING. They are meant to guide you and ground you so that you have the strength and willpower to detract from and cope with any negative energy that the day may bring your way.
While working towards crafting your intentional morning, you need to first identify the things that make you feel good about yourself and feel good in general. You should challenge yourself in good ways such as running for the athletically interested people. I’m sure we all know someone who runs religiously, every morning. I have tried numerous times to do this and despite being a personal trainer and a very good runner, it just doesn’t do it for me, and that’s okay. That brings me to the fact that everyone’s intentional morning will look different because we all have different parts of ourselves that we need to work on. What makes one person feel good about themselves may not work for another individual and again, that’s totally okay. Below I will share a few things that you as an individual can add into your daily morning routine, that may help to cultivate a more positive day. Be sure to keep an eye out for my next article as I will expound further on some of these topics.
1. Exercise (Yoga, Stretching, Running)
We already touched on running, but I’m just referring to exercise in general here. This is a great thing to incorporate into your morning routine. Not only is exercise a great way to challenge the body physically, but the release of dopamine will also help to keep you calm and collected, setting the tone for a good day. This doesn’t have to be complicated either. A simple walk around the block or a jog on a treadmill can help wake you up and get things going. Stretching is also another great option as it keeps your blood flowing and releases the tension within your muscles. To physically feel better is a great way to set the tone for the day.
2. Meditation
The mind is a beautiful thing, it’s true. That’s why it’s so important to keep it clear because stress doesn’t do anything for us in the long term. Especially when we are worried about the things that we cannot control. I like meditation because it allows me to train my brain to think good and positive things. Many of us are stuck in a trauma filled existence so we sometimes find it hard to see the good sides of things. But the truth is that we must work and train our brains to seek the positive out of every situation. I’m a firm believer in “Everything happens for a reason”. Humans are hardwired towards negativity, that’s why negative things will always receive more attention than positive ones. Hence this is why I find meditation to be important. To be mindful is much better than having your Mind full. Sometimes, we have just got to learn to live and be present because many of us are just existing, not living, and we don’t even know it.
3. Prayer
Praying is something I do every morning, without fail. If you’re not religious, that’s okay but for those of you who are, I don’t even need to express how important it is to Pray daily. Connecting with the Lord daily is just another way to keep your soul grounded. Through Worship and Prayer, we can manifest the things that we want for our lives, all whilst releasing the negative energy that’s trying to consume us. When we pray, we draw closer to God, we become closer to ourselves, we increase our faith and discernment, as well as acquire more wisdom. God wants to hear from us, so if you have not established a relationship with God, I encourage you to open your heart and seek him.
4. Affirmations
A lot of people look past adding this aspect into their morning routine, but I love to affirm things about myself. Affirmations are good for personal development, especially for our emotions. By affirming things with ourselves, we offer ourselves the emotional support that we need to get through the day. Knowing who you are and what you will and will not tolerate is paramount to avoiding conflict and building healthy relationships with other people. A good example of affirmation is reassuring yourself that you are indeed a beautiful person, regardless of what anyone else thinks of you. Doing this daily will train the brain to believe and once one truly believes something about themselves, it is only then can we look past what others think about us; we simply won’t care.
5. Breathwork
Are you familiar with diaphragmatic breathing? Basically, diaphragmatic breathing is breathing from the stomach (Diaphragm) rather than using the chest. The benefits? A stronger diaphragm and clearing of the mind, kind of like meditation except the main focus here is to focus on one’s breath. This in return promotes mindfulness and calmness. Performing breathwork first thing in the morning is a great way to release tension from the body, increase endorphins and relieve stress. Keep an eye out for my other articles to learn more about breathwork and how you can incorporate it into your daily morning routine.
In closing, I have shared with you 5 things that you can do that can help you set the tone for a good day because remember, happiness takes work. Those 5 things are:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Affirmations
- Breathwork
If you would like to find true peace in your life, you’ve got to train yourself to seek things that make you better. Sometimes this means that you don’t take the path of least resistance but rather you choose the path that will allow you to adapt and become a better you. Discipline is tough, but cultivating an intentional morning will help you become better at it, as you discipline yourself to do these things daily. If we can commit ourselves to doing the work and doing the work consistently, whatever that looks like for us, then we can be sure that we will at least experience growth if nothing else. To be intentional is to be present and mindful of the decisions that one is making. It is to be deliberate and meticulous with oneself and ambitions. Ask yourself, what are you doing daily that’s bringing you closer to your goals? What are you doing personally for yourself that will lead to further emotional and personal development? Are you truly working on you? We must start asking ourselves the hard questions. Staying on the surface and remaining superficial will only hurt us in the long run.
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