Alarm goes off, groan, swear a little, hit the snooze button, roll over and close your eyes again.
Alarm goes off, groan, swear a little, hit the snooze button, roll over and close your eyes again.
Repeat one or two more times, look at the clock…SHIIITTTTT! “I’m going to be late”.
Leap out of bed, jump in the shower, throw on some clothes, grab a quick bite (if anything at all) then head out for the day in a massive rush.
Or
Set your alarm for the last minute to get as much sleep as possible, swear at your phone when it goes off, slowly drag yourself out of bed, get ready and then move through your day like a sloth.
Both of these scenarios will end up with nearly the same result. A day full of craziness, mindlessness, out-of-controlness, energylessness (ok, totally made that word up) and frazzleness (and that one too).
Oh, and put that on repeat for the rest of the week. Except maybe the weekend when you sleep in, drink too much coffee, have an unhealthy breakfast, and then a crappy lunch followed by too much wine and a pizza for dinner.
Recycle. Repeat.
Are you exhausted? Run down? Stressed? Anxious? Lacking energy? Hating yourself too much?
What if each day began a little calmer? A little more peaceful? Less rushed? How do you think your day would feel?
Would you be open to setting yourself up for an amazing day?
I have a few amazing power moves you can implement into your morning to give you back calmness and peace into your day and your week.
It all begins with the night before.
30 minutes before bed turn off the TV, put your phone on do not disturb mode, grab a book and read. Please no trashy magazines which will make you feel bad about yourself just a good old fashioned book to entertain you a little.
Another great way to unwind from the day is to, again; turn off all devices, sit on a comfy chair or the couch, close your eyes and concentrate on your breath for 5 minutes.
Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and repeat. Go for as long as you can. Don’t worry about the time. I doubt you will go for much longer than 5 minutes, especially on your first few tries.
If you notice your mind begins to wander and replay events from the day, it starts to get cranky at someone because they said something to you and you didn’t get to give it to them the way you wanted or you begin to stress about your day tomorrow; always come back to your breathe.
Focus on your breathe going in and out and relax the mind. It is natural for the mind to wander but bringing your focus back to the breathe allows you to relax your body and your mind enough to help set you up for a calmer sense of self.
Personally, I love to read, have some quiet time once my daughter is in bed and maybe pull out my journal and write down my goals for myself. I also have a few affirmations I read quietly to myself and I say 3 gratitudes to myself from my day.
Gratitude’s can be as big or as small as they are. There is no gratitude measurement. They are all equal.
All of this puts me into a restful state, my mind is relaxed and I feel happy about my day and myself. I don’t revisit negative thoughts, I don’t rehash horrible conversations and I don’t beat myself up for once again “failing”.
It is now in the past and the past is where it stays. Each moment is a brand new chance to start again and be better, feel better and act better.
Giving yourself this time at the end of the day to be grateful, to learn and to start again; sets you up for an amazing day ahead.
Whether you need to set an alarm or you have a fur alarm or kid alarm use the morning to set yourself up for an amazing day.
If you have done the work the night before to prepare then hopefully (fingers crossed) you have woken up feeling good. You don’t feel rushed or sluggish and the morning is beginning with a big, fat smile.
If you are feeling a bit grumpy, don’t be so hard on yourself. It might take a little time to get into this routine. Maybe the baby woke you up and your sleep was broken or your partner snored through the night and you had to keep yourself from rolling them off the bed in anger. Whatever it may be well done for only being a bit grumpy.
If you are fun blown cranky and want to punch a wall then you might need a bit more work than this to calm you down. Just always hold onto this one thought “I am in control of me, and only me, and I choose how I feel and behave”.
So, now you are awake.
Refrain from checking your phone for at least 30 minutes (the world will not end) and keep the TV and radio off. Keep your mind noise free, allowing for peace and calm to enter first.
If you have kids and your morning routine is usually a nightmarish rush then this is for you. I understand how challenging it can be to find time to go to the toilet in peace let alone find the time for a peaceful morning ritual.
My suggestion is do it with them.
Teach them how to find peace in the morning instead of feeling rushed all the time. This feeling will carry with them right into adulthood until they decided they don’t need to feel this way any more. Maybe this was how your household was so you have carried it with you.
It is time to break the cycle.
Take 5 minutes or even only 1 or 2 of that is all you can manage for today. Sit down on the couch or the floor. Have your kids next to you or on your lap and do the breathing technique. Do it out loud for your kids so they understand what you are doing. Count out the breathes and encourage them to do it with you.
After your minute or 5 minutes say this affirmation/mantra, “I feel peace. I am peace. I feel calm. I am calm”.
Repeat it out loud (again, encourage your kids to say it too. If they can talk) 5 times.
Take 3 big deep breaths, get up and begin your morning routine as normal, except this time you will feel less rushed.
Notice how different you feel. Hold onto this feeling for the rest of the day. Repeat the affirmation/mantra as many times as you need throughout the day to remind yourself you are calm and peaceful.
Keep a journal handy and write down any thoughts which tend to repeat themselves to you. I’m not talking about those horrible, negative thoughts of self loathing; I mean the ones which come from your soul. The dreams or goals which keep popping into your head. Write them down. Your soul knows what it needs, what it wants and we have a terrible habit of ignoring our souls desire.
Listen. Take notice. Your inner voice is talking to you for a reason.
For those of you who do not have children and can spend a bit more time in the morning to find your inner peace and calm, here is what I suggest.
Before hopping out of bed, sit up straight and use the breathing technique again.
For as long as you can. Up to 10 minutes.
Repeat the same affirmation/mantra to yourself out loud or in your head, “I feel peace. I am peace. I feel calm. I am calm”.
Grab your journal and write for 5 – 10 minutes. Whatever comes through. As above, your inner voice is always trying to connect with you so no more ignoring it. Believe it or not when you begin to listen to your inner voice more clearly and consistently your day is going to feel so much better.
Moving your body is essential.
It helps to energise you, unblock your flow and release all of the amazing feel good hormones.
Before heading to the kitchen I would like you to move your body.
Maybe you could go outside for a walk, do a workout in your living room, head to the gym or even just stretch out your body to help everything flow nicely.
Some kind of movement routine in the morning will most definitely set you up for an amazing day.
Movement has been proven to have so many positive affects on the body such as improving mood, maintaining a healthy weight, having a sharper mind and a stronger body.
So many reasons to put on your walking shoes and move.
If you only have 10 minutes, that is more than enough to get the good energy flowing.
Make time during your day for another few 10 minute movement sessions because they all add up resulting in a better feeling body and mind.
And, of course, it is all about setting yourself up for an amazing day whatever the day throws at you.
The are no quick fix remedies or crazy pills you can take. It all begins in the mind. That one thought, that one decision, that one choice to feel better.
Take action and begin to have one amazing day after the other. It’s not a fluke. It is your thought process which creates the day you want.
Moving your body can help you to unlock and release your true thoughts.
How would you describe your diet? Your eating habits? Your mindset when it comes to what you put into your mouth and how much?
5 years ago my diet was shocking. I would eat whatever I wanted (takeaway, lollies, chocolate, ice cream; you name it. Except vegetables. Not many vegetables) and I would eat them if I was bored, emotional, hating myself, kind of happy, no feelings at all, numb, depressed, angry; but not hungry. I never knew when I was actually hungry. And the amount I ate, probably enough for 2 grown men. It left me feeling disgusted in myself and sent me to the fridge for more crappy food.
Maybe your diet isn’t like this exactly. Maybe your diet is not enough food. Maybe your diet is emotionally ok but you still prefer to eat junk over nourishment. Whatever your diet is, if it doesn’t involve a rainbow of nutritious food then it would benefit to add some to your meals.
Food is more than weight loss. Food is nourishment for the trillions of cells which make up your mind and your body, it is food for the amazing little bugs living in your gut helping to keep your digestive system healthy, it is boosting your immune system so you don’t pick up every illness and disease floating around, it is vitamins and minerals which are utilised by every system in your body to keep it functioning properly, it is brain food for a super charged mind and it is energy to invigorate your whole being.
Food is life!
There are umpteen diets, meals, snacks, food lifestyles to choose from that it can get very confusing (see my article here diet vs diet and which one is best for you), but which ever one you decide to choose ensure it is packed full of nourishing foods.
If you are fasting or doing intermittent fasting, I highly recommend you make the first meal of your day the best meal of your day (this is totally true in general).
If you have done a major workout then yes, you DEFINITELY need to eat afterwards to refuel your body. Fasting may not be appropriate for you. Please always listen to your body.
So, for the sake of setting yourself up for an amazing day with food, here is what I propose.
Skip the cereal (no matter how amazing the commercial tells you it is) as this will not sustain you throughout the morning.
Choose to eat good quality protein such as eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy, non dairy milks etc as these will provide you with satiety; meaning you will be satisfied for a longer period of time.
Complex carbs such as whole-grains, fruit, vegetables and ancient grains. Plus a little bit of fat (fat will not make you fat unless you eat too much, and the wrong kind) to also help you feel satisfied.
Vitamins and minerals are other important sources in all of these foods providing essential nutrients for helping your mind and body to feel energised, happy and strong.
Lastly, make the final meal of the day as nourishing as possible but not your biggest meal of the day.
In Western society we seem to make our last meal the biggest. It should be the smallest.
Yes, you can still eat pasta for dinner but make the serving smaller than what you would usually serve yourself. Over time you will adjust to the smaller meal and feel more satisfied and less likely to run to the kitchen because you are STARVING.
Your body needs time during the night to rest and repair, not digest food.
Stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed to give your body time to settle and digest before it needs to go to sleep. If you are feeling stuffed while trying to sleep then this can be quite disruptive to how much rest you will eventually get.
Put a rainbow on your plate at every meal and feel the difference to how your mind and your body are behaving. I bet they feel amazing in no time.
When you put all of these into practice on a daily basis your day will feel so much calmer and peaceful and you will feel like you can take on anything, achieve anything and become anything.
The added bonus is that when you feel calm and peace on the inside your outside world also becomes more calm and peaceful.
You have set yourself up for an amazing day. An amazing week. An amazing month. An amazing year.
An amazing life.
Have you ever felt there is more to who you are?
Have you ever dreamt of a better life for yourself?
Have you ever wanted to feel love, joy, peace and freedom for yourself and your body?
Yes? Then I welcome you to The Positively You Program.
A 6-week Holistic Program empowering women to Listen, Learn and Love.
Listen to the Woman within.
Learn who you truly are.
Love every single part of you again.
