Hello and welcome back to “Make a Fresh Start,” a monthlong series where I am sharing small ways to orient your life in a positive direction in the new year. Can you believe we are entering the last week of January already?
For our final week, I will be sharing tips on things we can do to renew and refresh our minds.
Today’s thought is something you can do before you even get out of bed! The idea is to welcome each day with a moment of prayer or meditation. When the alarm goes off, let yourself wake up by breathing deeply and inviting good things to come into your path. Be thankful for the night’s sleep (even if it wasn’t your best!). Ponder the day ahead and consider what you might be looking forward to. If you are a person of faith, invite God to bless the day and fill you with His power and direction.
There is an old expression that attributes a bad day to “waking up on the wrong side of the bed.” While we can’t control what might confront us during the day, we can take a few moments each morning to center ourselves so we can commence the day with a positive mindset.
How do you begin your day?
This is a great reminder, Seana! When life gets busy, sometimes it feels like we need to jump out of bed and get started, but those few minutes won’t interfere with productivity. If anything, they’ll set us up for an even better day!
Even before your feet hit the ground and you have to face the day, you can breathe and have a peaceful start!
I love this tip and what a great way to look at it when we wake up in the morning. My mornings are usually a bit of a blur with both my husband and I working from home, as well as my kids learning remotely for school this year. So, on weekdays, I am usually on autopilot when I get up. But great advice to even just take a few moments when we first wake up to breathe before hitting the ground running so to speak.
Even before you get out of bed! I do it every morning, since I never know what will “hit me” when I get downstairs.
Seana,
What an absolutely perfect read for a Monday morning or any morning for that matter. I really love this. It resonates with me.
This idea is beautiful, “to welcome each day with a moment of prayer or meditation.” I never thought of being thankful for the night’s rest. I think we should count our blessings for many things and in many ways. Not only for what we have but asking the universe to bring us a rich, meaningful and healthy day.
I’m so glad this resonated with you! Welcoming the day, before your feet even hit the ground, just feels so good. It helps me open to what might be coming, and centers me before I go downstairs and face whatever might be coming at me. Sometimes it is the little things we do that can have the biggest impact on our perspective and experience, right?
Seana, I’ve been enjoying your month of daily tips. This is a powerful one. I am thankful and express my gratitude for every day – I find when I set a positive intention in the morning, the day tends to work out for the best.
Yes, I love that phrase “positive intention.” We do have power in the way we approach the day. I am a follower of Jesus, so I pray for his Spirit to guide me through the day. I find it comforting and reassuring to know that, whatever I may face, I’ve started off with the best intentions!
Our waking up routines are vital indicators for how the rest of the day will go. For me, creating a quiet place for calm, gratitude, and self-care to flourish before the rest of my day has become essential. Pre-breakfast time includes mindfulness meditation, journaling, and newly added…reading. I used to read before bed, and at times, I still do. But I’ve decided to integrate reading in the morning too. My mind is most alert and receptive then.
I’ve added reading to the morning as well. I love it because I feel that I’ve given myself permission to read, which before I often felt guilty doing!
I’ve always found it difficult to meditate because my mind starts being overrun with thoughts. However, I’ve never tried doing it when I first wake up, when my brain is still muzzy-fuzzy and not yet fully alert. That might actually work!
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It’s worth a shot anyway, right Julie? I find it is a nice way to wake up.
What a great reminder! Thank you. Keeping my mind still and focusing on my breathing helps me start the day off more relaxed. As I get older, I need to reduce stress, so starting a day off with deep breathing exercises and saying a positive affirmation/prayer in the morning works for me.
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Me too! I love waking up this way. It centers me and gives me a chance to invite God into the day before I go downstairs and see what is coming at me.
I do love using affirmations or prayers, but I usually only do it in the heat of the moment when I’m spiraling. It would be nice to do it regularly, early in the morning, and just because.
It really is a wonderful way to wake up. A pleasant habit that takes little effort and can get your day started off in a positive direction!
This is such a simple yet powerful thing to do. I usually listen to the Daily Prayer podcast each morning. It’s a quick 5 minute prayer focus for the day. It helps me get in the right frame of mind. If I’m having an extra hard start to the day, I’ll go fo a nice run. That always does the trick! Congratulations on this wonderful series of posts.
I love that you say a “nice run.” Since I’m not a runner, that sounds more difficult than nice LOL! I love the Daily Prayer podcast – terrific way to start the day:)
These have been great! I love that you didn’t just focus on physical clutter. All your suggestions have been simple yet transformative. It’s a reminder that meaningful change can come about through small efforts applied consistently.
I truly believe that small changes, maintained over time, are what have the great impact on our lives!
I have enough going on in the mornings so I do a similar practice in the evening to reflect on my day and express gratitude for the good and not so good parts that happened.
I think there is great benefit on either end of the day!
Seana,
Great tips and great reminder to start our day with something good for ourselves! Thanks you!
Might as well do what we can to start the day moving in a positive direction, right? I mean, it’s free and can only help.
I usually start my day early at my desk. I know. not very calming or centering. I’m trying to get away from that. What I’d like to do is take a walk every morning, which I was doing in the fall, but now it’s too cold for me that early. Like Linda, I am trying meditation in the morning, but it’s a struggle for me. I want to jump up and start working instead of sitting still. I’m working on it.
Yes, when morning is your “power time” it is hard to sit still when you get up. That’s why I do a small bit of praying and welcoming the day before I even get out of bed. I’m still waking up, so I’m more willing to be still. I agree with you on walking in the cold – too cold for me!
I begin just as you suggest. I am a person of faith and I start with a prayer of thanks and ask for guidance.
You and me both, Dianne!
I think I’m going to need to integrate some morning meditation back in my life. I used to do a 10 minute meditation while lying on my back on the floor. It felt good.
Sometimes we fall out of habits we actually liked. I think that sounds like such a restful and peaceful time!