Do you ever wake up in a funk, hit the snooze button 2 or 3 times, feel exhausted, stressed or cranky? Mornings can be a stressful time or they can set the tone for a successful and productive day. I thought this would be the perfect time to share how I start my day and encourage my clients to do the same.
Having a solid morning practice has helped me to reduce stress, quiets my overactive mind, gives me clarity and has helped me to be more productive with my day. This past year I took my practice a bit deeper and found that I was able to really focus in on my thoughts and mindset, which in turn affected my feelings, actions and RESULTS!
There are 5 pillars of self care that I built my morning practice on: physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
Here is what that looks like for me:
Meditation- even if it’s just for 10 minutes. You can sit or lie quietly, listen to a guided meditation, do a walking meditation or whatever works for you to quiet your mind. (YouTube has thousands of guided meditations to offer) I love to start my day with a gratitude meditation! Here’s a link to one of my faves: https://youtu.be/VsziJIG3daA
Journaling- I use this a couple of ways. Being mindful about all that you have to be grateful for is a great way to start your day. Sometimes I just need to do a ‘mind dump’ and purge my thoughts. This is also a space to write down your fears. (I noticed reading back through my journal that most of them were unfounded and never happened. Whew!) Journaling allows you to see how far you’ve come, how you’ve grown and changed or possibly where you still need to do some work. Dreams are born in your journal!
Listening- to something positive, educational or motivational. Reading works well here too. I use Audible so I can listen to my books while driving, working out etc.
Exercise- that can be in the gym, yoga, pickleball, a hike or dancing. That’s just my go to list but yours can consist of anything that gets your body moving.
Mindset work- I have become very aware of my self talk. Negative self talk does not serve us in any positive way. Being aware of your thoughts and words is key. I also use affirmations, positive self talk and a technique referred to as Kylego which I use with my coaching clients. Thoughts=Feelings=Actions=Results!
The social piece came through spending time with family, friends and clients. I actually get so much fulfillment from coaching and hosting retreats and feel so fortunate to create deep, meaningful social connections while working. Of course I do have amazing clients which makes it easy!
I hope that you found this information helpful and will consider implementing a few new things into your morning practice! What is your favorite morning practice? Let us know in the comments below.
Also If you feel called to attend one of our Women’s Retreats in Bali this year you can get all of the information and register here: https://www.cheryldavenport.com/retreats
Wishing you a year filled with magic and miracles!
xo
Cheryl