Do you jump right out of bed and attack the day?
Do you slump around and hope the coffee, hot shower, or something else might waken you to your life?
Regardless of what kind of morning person you are, you are in control of how you start and finish your day. Those first few minutes as you open your eyes and sit up can make or break the rest of your hours, and I would recommend a simple practice to set the foundation for your day, the fuel that will drive the rest of what you feel in your brain and body.
Do you want to establish a strong will to make healthy choices to assist in attaining a healthy weight?
Do you wish to feel a stronger connection to those closest to you, including yourself?
Then start building a habit those first few moments and get good at something new, whether motivated by weight wellness, relationship wellness, or emotional wellness. How do you get good at something? You practice. Don’t like the mental or physical or verbal habit you’ve got by your side every day? Then practice something new for your mind and body and life to chew on each day until it becomes your new normal. This is how the brain works. It’s plastic, it’s moldable, it’s whatever you make it. What’s common among our peers is non-action. To simply see what the life feels like, to wake up, to feel unsatisfied, to accept this as “just another one of those days.” Well, what do you think the rest of your day is going to be like? Nothing else is going to grab you by the collar and wake you up to the reality that you’re making a choice to enter into your day like this. You have to do it.
Clearly, there are a multitude of genuine disorders that fly in the face of simply “choosing differently” but for the vast majority, putting simple things into practice – and giving it some time to grow – say 21 days to start – will greatly change things for not just your day, but for your body, your life, your family, and all those that come in contact with you.
What should you do?
Nothing, if you don’t want to try something new or feel something different. If you want, then why don’t you see what you can do for yourself. There’s absolutely nothing to lose.
- Wake up
- Sit up
- Close your eyes, though not all the way so as not to fall back asleep
- Spend 2 minutes filling yourself up with all the things you are and those things you want in yourself (BUT, do not phrase them as though they are coming some day, in the future.) Some day, later, eventually, will.. these are the words to stay away from when you talk mentally or aloud to yourself. I am, I feel, I smell, I taste, I hear, I am, I am, I am… these are the words to focus on, words of the moment, of now. And, yes, engage as many of your senses as possible. Examples include:
- I am strong
- I am beautiful
- I am grateful for my health
- I love my work
- I feel amazing in my clothes
… It’s only normal to read this and think that this is so cliche, reminding oneself of Stuart Smalley talking to himself in the mirror on Saturday Night Live. Well, some things are ubiquitous for a reason, because they have an impact when done genuinely and regularly.
- Then go about your day knowing this foundation you’ve just put in place will only fuel the decisions and interactions to come. It becomes more difficult knowing all day that your fit, strong, and beautiful, to continue eating fast food all the time. It becomes increasingly foreign to see everything in a challenged light when you’ve spent so much dedicated time seeing and feeling and knowing everything from an enlightened, positive light.
This is basic affirmation and positive thinking 101. I didn’t invent this. But I’ve noticed basic practices need to be evaluated and revisited over and over. As we enter the cooler, darker, slower winter months, we need extra motivation for both body and spirit. So, first thing, give it to yourself. You deserve it and you can do it. Last suggestion: make your alarms on your phone work for you. Set your wake up alarm with a reminder to do this practice. No less than three weeks straight.