Is it possible to reframe those first few minutes in the morning so your whole day is more positive?
I think so. In fact, I’ve been working on this very thing for a few months now, and the change has been noticeable.
So what’s the shift? Well, for me it wasn’t finding the right alarm sound to gently wake me from my sleep, or even getting more sleep.
It was pressing pause on that racing voice in my head which starts the second my alarm goes off in the morning.
Take this morning- it’s a Monday. Monday mornings are generally pretty touch for most of us. So, when my alarm went off this morning at 4:30 a.m. for my boot camp class, my first thought was, “Did I get enough sleep to make it through boot camp this morning?”
As I got out of bed, my next thought was, “What do I have to do at work this week?”
And then I stop.
Because really, it’s 4:30 in the morning. Do I need to be making these sorts of decisions and doing this level of strategic planning RIGHT NOW?
The answer is definitely no.
Instead of going down that rabbit hole, now I stop myself.
I’m up and I’m breathing- and get I charged $20 if I don’t show up to boot camp. So yeah, I’m going whether I feel completely rested or not.
And then I remind myself that I actually enjoy the workout, a lot.
And I feel great afterwards. Suddenly, I’m not nearly as tired at I thought I was.
Then my brain starts again and wants to plan out my week. What days will be easier/what days will be tougher? What’s due this week? What meetings do I have? What has to be accomplished?
Then once again, I slow my roll.
The week is going to bring what it is going to bring. I can tackle it all, piece by piece, but right now I just need to check the weather, pick out my outfit for today, and get my workout clothes on so I can head downstairs for my beloved first cup of coffee.
And just like that, in those first few minutes, my whole mood shifts.
There is nothing written in stone that your morning has to be dreaded. I think we are conditioned to believe it’s a fact instead of a thought. We hear that tape in our head telling us from the second we wake up that things will tough, hard, or challenging.
It’s like we’ve collectively all signed on to the belief that things must be hard everyday.
When we say it out loud it sounds depressing and crazy, but that is how many of us operate everyday.
So, I decided that isn’t how I want to cue up my day anymore. I did it for plenty of years. I never liked being that way, so I don’t want to be that way anymore. It’s really that simple.
Has this small shift worked? Absolutely.
First, I’m in a much better mood at my morning workout. Afterwards, I’m more relaxed and less anxious as I’m getting ready for work. Despite being more relaxed, I’m actually getting ready more efficiently and I’m less rushed getting out the door.
Although different things come my way throughout the day, I try and stay mindful that they are just thoughts.
Just like the ones I have when I first wake up. They hold no weight, no absolute truth. I can let them go just as easily as they came.
It’s like mediating, but while your going through your day instead of those 10 minutes (if you’re really committed!) that you do while sitting on a mat.
Why not give it a try? Maybe tomorrow is the day?
If you’re like me, the alarm will go off and your thoughts will start firing at full force.
Then pause. Don’t get on the roller coaster. And watch how your day suddenly takes a completely different direction, while the pay offs continue all day long!
