How do you feel in the morning? When you first wake up? Before the organised chaos or maybe the not so organised chaos begins? How do you feel deep, deep down? Are your energy levels at their complete optimum? Do you have any aches or pains in any limbs or major muscle groups? What is your mind telling you? Are you in a positive head space? If not, then that is not ok. It is not normal to feel like that. However, today’s society seem to think it is and put up with the aches and pains, the twinges or the negative thoughts. Lethargy is so common these days that people think everyone feels like that but I am here to tell you it can be better.
How you may be asking yourself right now? And some serious doubt will be entering your head. Maybe even a roll of the eyes. But it is like anything, weight loss, flexibility, or dietary changes. It takes time and persistence, something that everyone seems to think they have none of. But if you really want to make a change and really feel better from the inside out (rather than just the outside) then you will make it happen. Just remember that it didn’t take 24hrs to get you in this negative headspace and lethargy to be the “norm”. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day. Do you know what I mean? CONSISTENCY pays off.
Step 1:
Gratitude. So very important and something nearly no-one does or know exactly what this means. What are you grateful for in your day to day lives? It doesn’t have to be something big in fact it is not supposed to be for something big. The little things that we all take for granted. Our mum’s, our dad’s or a friend/college at work who makes your day to day life a little easier. For the simple fact that you can afford a house whether you own it or rent it is a great achievement in itself. For actually having a job. Whether it pays well or not be grateful you have an employer because a lot of people out there are jobless or will be made redundant whilst trying to support themselves or a family. Be grateful for your 9-5 because not everyone has a job. Once you have thought of three grateful’s write them down on a piece of paper and keep them in the back of your mind for the rest of the day. We need to be more aware of the small things in our lives that all add up to something greater.
Step 2:
Meditate. Now I don’t mean to go out and buy incense and a pair of amber beads and sit on the tallest mountain with legs crossed humming like it’s no one’s business. I mean sit in silence for 10-15mins clear your head and focus on your breathing. Don’t focus on your day or the one million things you have to do. Focus on the breath entering and leaving the body. Inhale for 4, hold for 3 and exhale for 4 seconds. Relax the body and relax the mind. If you need a little help download the free app, headspace and follow the guided meditation until you get the idea of what you should be focusing on in this time. When we start our days with a clear headspace we make more informed decisions and become more productive within the workplace or home. Whatever it may be that you want to get out of the day will be more structured with a more positive mindset. And we all know that when we breath deeper, rather than from the chest our central nervous system is switched on and supporting our oxygen flow throughout the day. So when a stressful situation arises we are more equipped to handle it.
Step 3:
Yoga or a stretch session on your bedroom floor. Either way it is up to you but being gentle to the mind and body in the morning is a great way to ease your way into the day. When the body is completely stretched out and relaxed we get rid of that built up tension which is the body in a constant contraction. When our muscles are contracted we are tight and the body is in a stressed state. When our body is in a stressed state our cortisol levels are high, not a lot of good decisions are going to be made when cortisol levels are through the roof. Slow down and do yourself a favour (pardon me do your body a favour) and get to yoga or stretch out but let’s be honest are you really going to set the alarm a little earlier just to get up and go into the room to stretch?? Probably not. Get yourself into yoga where you have to hold the stretches for a certain period of time in order for your muscles to get what they need. Everyone calm down, slow down and breathe. If we don’t well then we are going to feel like crap. Pardon my language but we will and that is the bottom line. Do you want to keep feeling like crap day in day out? That is the question you have to ask yourselves. If not, then action some of these steps. I am not saying it for the fun of it. It actually works. Turn your phone off, stop scrolling through your emails or Instagram and help your body out because after all it is the only one you will ever get. Treat it kindly. Step away from technology and focus on your breathe.
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