Start your day the Mindful Way
Create ease and clarity with these 7 steps
Do you often find that you’re feeling overwhelmed about your day even before you get out of bed? You can ditch that feeling of overwhelm and start your day with clarity and purpose with just 5-10 minutes of mindfulness, even before you get out of bed.
What’s your first thought when you wake up in the morning? Is it “oh no, I slept in again!” or is it one of ease and gratitude?
If you’re like most people, you either feel rushed with thoughts of the work day ahead, or you feel “blah” because there’s nothing exciting on your calendar.
What if you could feel calm and clear about your goals for the day ahead. What if you woke up with a smile anticipating the great day you’re going to have?
You can, and mindfulness is the key. Starting your day with mindfulness can significantly improve your sense of wellbeing and help you get out of bed with a feeling of ease and clarity of purpose.
7 steps to create clarity and ease in your day
Become Aware: Start out by taking a few moments to notice if you feel rested. Did you get enough sleep? Does your body feel tense or relaxed?
Observe: The next step is to observe your mind. Does your mind feel relaxed or tense? Is your mind planning, complaining about the day ahead, remembering a dream or something that happened yesterday? What thoughts are you thinking?
Appreciate: Take a few moments to notice your body and mind and how they feel. Appreciate that your body and mind are about to take you through another day. Notice how you’re feeling and acknowledge it.
Do a Body Scan: Continuing to lie in bed, do a body scan (taking anywhere from 1 minute to several minutes). Start at your toes and work your way up through your body to the top of your head. Breathe into each part of your body as you notice it. Send extra breath to those parts of your body that feel achy or sore. This is particularly useful if you have a potentially stressful day ahead of you. Engaging in progressive relaxation before the day starts will help release tension before you even start feeling it.
Pay Attention: Once you’ve finished the body scan, turn your attention to your mind. What is your mind thinking about? What feelings are those thoughts producing in your body? Really notice how how your thoughts affect your feelings and body sensations.
Breathe: Once you’ve paid attention to your thoughts and feelings, notice how lengthening your inhales and exhales can help relax your nervous system. Notice your thoughts and then come back to your breath.
Relax: Repeat the process of thinking and feeling and using the breath to help relax your body as you go through the process. When you’re feeling relaxed and in control of your thoughts, set your intention for today and get out of bed ready to begin your day with more ease and clarity.
If the above doesn’t help because you have a particularly stressful day ahead, try using the R.A.I.N technique to help you get through.
R.A.I.N.
R - Recognize what is happening: As you think about the stressful situation, notice what is happening inside you. What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What sensations are you noticing? What emotions are coming to the surface? Take a moment to notice the situation as a whole and notice how it’s affecting your body, mind, heart and soul.
A - Allow life to be exactly as it is right now. Don’t try to change anything, just let it be. Instead of fighting with what’s happening, just allow it to be exactly as it is. What do you notice when you’re just allowing the thoughts, emotions and sensations to be there, just as they are? Is there any softening? Extend some compassion to yourself.
I - Investigate with attention. Notice what most wants your attention in this situation. Where in your body do you most feel the sensations? What are the exact sensations? What are you believing about the situation? Really allow yourself to explore the entire experience.
N - Nonidentification: Become an observer of your thoughts, feelings and sensations without identifying with them. Offer unconditional kindness to yourself. Feel the sensations as waves in the ocean. Rest in spacious and kind awareness and let the sensations pass through.
Remember that it’s your thoughts that are creating your feelings and emotions. Taking time in mindful awareness to notice how you are starting your day will set you up for success as you move through the day. Breathe, notice, allow, observe and practice R.A.I.N. as needed throughout the day. Adding mindfulness to your everyday life will keep your stress level down and help you live a calmer life, every single day.
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"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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