Did you know that how you start your morning can impact your entire day? Have you ever started your morning by saying “meh,” “this day is going to suck” or with a heavy sigh? I know that I have. There are mornings where I woke up with complaints because I didn’t feel like going to work that day, dealing with the daily stresses of life, the impacts of my mental health, or just was tired from not being able to sleep the night before.
What I have noticed is that on the days where I started with negative thoughts or self-talk, those days were filled with negative energy that was difficult to shake. My mornings would drag; they would feel unproductive, and overwhelming and those mornings turned into days, turned into weeks, turned into months …
I realized that the way I started was the way that I ended the day and the long-term impacts were piling up on my wellness, inner-peace, and my mental health. Here are three ways you can manifest #morningmotivation:
1. change your self-talk
Do you engage in more negative self-talk than positive self-talk in the morning? The thoughts you have in situations turn into self-talk. When you are thinking, “this day is going to suck,” that thought impacts the words that come out of your mouth. When you are thinking negatively you will speak negatively. There is so much power in your tongue and the words you hear yourself say about yourself every day, matter. Here are some ways that you can change your self-talk in the morning:
When you wake up …
- say what you are grateful for out loud
- say a prayer
- speak affirmations (40 Self-love Affirmations)
- say a mantra (Build a Mantra with Meaning)
- say one thing that you are going to do to make today a good day
How you speak to yourself when you wake up can shift your energy and mood throughout the day. You have more control and power over your mood, wellbeing, and energy than you know.
2. avoid social media
Do you scroll right before you fall asleep? Do you sleep with your phone in arms reach? Do you check your social media as soon as you wake up?
Engaging with others on your phone, especially on social media can impact your energy and mood. Adapting or taking on others emotions is human especially for empathetic individuals. So, if you wake up and immediately engage in others energy or get on social media and see a post that is negative or toxic, that can shift your emotions. Here are some tips to protect your energy from your phone:
- plug in and charge your phone on the opposite side of your bed or in another room of your house
- turn off your social media notifications
- set an alarm for when you can access social media
- turn on your screen time log on your phone
- avoid scrolling
- avoid until after you do something to take care of yourself
3. prioritize yourself
How do you prioritize yourself in the morning? There are many types of self-care as you know if you read, 6 Ways to Take Care of You. How you begin taking care of yourself starts in the morning. Instead of checking your phone when you wake up, prioritize yourself by engaging in self-care practices. Create a morning self-care routine that energizes you. Choose morning hygiene (brushing your teeth, washing face, etc.), movement or workouts, eating breakfast, or engaging in meditation are great ways to energize yourself and bring some motivation and positive energy to your mornings.
You can also spend some time with your senses and engage in sensory self-care.
We can actively try to elicit certain emotions/emotional states (happiness, calm, etc) by engaging our senses. Not only that, but when we engage our senses we focus on the present, which is a type of mindfulness, being aware of what is happening here in this moment, rather than getting caught up in the “what if” or other stressors that can occupy our minds.
– Rachel Tomlinson
Suman of The Awesome Soul, suggests, creating a list of sensory experiences that you love for each of the senses, “Ask yourself which sounds, smells, tastes, sights (colors, shapes, and patterns), and touches do you love?”
Here’s my list of some of the things that deliver my favorite uni-sensory experiences for a reference:
– I Love Hearing – Classical Music, EDM beats, Cello Music, Piano Music, Soundtracks by Hans Zimmer & A.R. Rahman
– I Love Smelling – Scents of Strawberry, Caramel, Tea leaves, Mint, Tuberose flowers
– I Love Tasting – Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Mango, Peanuts, Honey
– I Love Touching – Cat/Dog Furry skin, Cool Dry Soil, Tree bark, Brick Wall, Grass, Moss
– I Love Seeing – Shape & Colors of Mountains, Colors of Lush Green Nature, Wood surface patterns, Color of the Sky and shape of Clouds, Colors & Patterns inside a Kaleidoscope
– Suman @TheAwesomeSoul
Motivate yourself by engaging in some form of self-care before you make yourself accessible to the world. Don’t get on your phone when you first wake up. Speak with positive words and positive energy and shift your mornings. A motivated morning leads to a motivated day, motivated week, motivated month, motivated year.
Life is not perfect and you will have tough and stressful days, but even when things are hard
I hope these tips for #morningmotivation helps to remind you of how powerful you are and how you have some control over what your days look like and how they feel,
