5 Morning Mindfulness Exercises To Start Each Day Fresh
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When was the last time you had a calm and peaceful morning? Think about that for a moment. How we start our mornings has a huge impact on how the rest of our days go. And for many of us, the mornings are far from relaxing. Quite the contrary; they’re hectic, busy and stressful.
Between rushing to get to work, or running around the house making sure our kids are ready for school, we find no time for a moment of quietude. As if that isn’t bad enough, the day ahead brings another heap of stresses and struggles, as we fail to be as productive as we’d like.
Is there a way to stop this cycle of stressful mornings? Of course. How? One word: Mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is to live fully in the present moment. It is something you cultivate by pulling your attention and thoughts away from the past and future, into the here and now. It’s about being aware of what is happening here and what we’re doing.
Practicing mindfulness in the morning is a great way of setting the stage for a productive day. It will help you feel better inside, more grounded, and centered. In this post, I’m going to share five mindfulness practices you can start adding to your morning routine.
And in case you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for this,” remember that this will increase your productivity and help you own the day. So, even if you have to wake up a little earlier to make time, isn’t self-care worth it?
Start by Journaling
Journaling is an excellent practice to start doing in the morning. It will offer your mind some clarity and help to reduce stress and anxiety. You can use it to jot down your goals and objectives for the day and plans for the future. Planning, after all, is the first step to having a productive life. Journaling is also a great way to bring about self-awareness. To understand how you’re feeling, make sense of your thoughts.
There are different ways you can journal, I will share three with you:
‘Morning pages’
I first heard about morning pages in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. It’s a simple journaling practice that involves writing three full pages of everything on your mind. On her blog, Julia Cameron explains that: “Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing done before the day ‘begins,’ Morning Pages serve to prioritize, clarify, and ground the day’s activities.” You don’t have to worry about writing a structured and coherent entry. You just write down every thought you have.
In case you’re wondering if “three pages are too many,” you’d be surprised how many thoughts you’ll feel the need to express. So give it a try!
Gratitude journal
Gratitude journaling involves writing three to five things you’re grateful for each day; I recommend doing it in the morning. It’s a great way to be mindful of your blessings. Gratitude cultivates happiness and a happy mind will encourage you to lead a productive life.
Bullet journal
Bullet journaling has become increasingly popular. You might have seen aesthetic pictures of people’s bullet journals on social media. Besides being a pretty looking notebook, bullet journaling can be life-changing. As a planning system invented by Ryder Carol, it involves organizing every aspect of your life. intentionally. A “mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system” as they say.
21 Day Self Reflection Journal
A perfect complement to any morning routine. Avoid picking up your phone and swiping and, instead, reach for this journal and spend the first 30 minutes of your day looking inward and starting the day, rested, composed, and grateful.
Start a Meditation Practice
We sometimes think meditation is a practice only spiritual or religious people do. We see it as a mystical exercise of some sort. And while there are different explanations on what meditation is, I understand it as taking control over your mind. It involves being present and cultivating self-awareness. It’s mindfulness’s best friend.
Meditating can help you be more productive because of the countless benefits it offers. It enhances your ability to focus and concentrate. It can help increase an optimistic outlook on life and promotes a greater sense of self-awareness. It also reduces anxiety.
There are many ways you can meditate, but the simplest way involves sitting down in a quiet place for a few minutes, closing your eyes to enhance concentration, and focusing on your breathing. Don’t worry about the thoughts crowding your mind. Don’t try to stop or fight them, just let them be. And always focus on your breathing.
Focus On Breathing Exercises
If meditation isn’t for you, or you think that you simply don’t have the extra time to spare, breathing is another great mindfulness practice. With intentional breathing, you become more mindful of what you’re doing and you may notice the results immediately. You can try it now: take a deep breath in and out, that feels good right?
Practicing breathing exercises is a powerful way of reducing stress and anxiety. If you feel calm and settled inside, you’ll be more productive naturally. There are many ways you can practice breathing exercises, but the simplest way is to take a deep breath in, hold for a few seconds, and then breathe out. Make sure you focus on what you’re doing.
Recite positive affirmations
Make it a habit to recite positive affirmations aloud to yourself every morning. We often don’t realize how negative our self-talk is. Affirming good qualities you have of yourself is an amazing way of boosting your productivity. Just think about it: you wake up in the morning more or less knowing what needs to be done. It’s a busy day ahead. What will make you feel better and inclined to work hard? Language like, “I can’t be bothered with this. I’m too lazy” or “Today will be an amazing day and I will tick everything off my to-do list”? The second one, right?
You can write a list of positive affirmations in a notebook beside your bed and read them every morning. Or if you prefer, on your smartphone. To give you an idea of what you could say to start your day right and be productive, here’s a list of ten affirmations:
I am worthy of success
I have the ability to achieve every goal I want to in my life
I believe in myself and in my strengths
I believe I have an abundance of blessings
My day will be productive and organized
I will choose productivity over procrastination
I will be consistent, hard-working and resilient
I will complete every task and project I have
Being productive and organized is who I am
I won’t let procrastination get in the way of my success
Read Mindfully
By reading here, I don’t just mean a book. It can be a quote or poem, anything that inspires you. Every morning, take a couple of minutes to read a few pages of an amazing book on personal development you love or a positive poem. To read mindfully, I advise that you think about what the words are teaching you. What lessons and benefits can you learn?
Another type of mindful journaling is write down your thoughts on what you read. Share your thoughts on what you learned and loved, it’ll stick with you throughout the day. If those words inspired you to be motivated and productive, that’ll give you the boost you need to own the day.
Final thoughts
Five simple but efficient mindfulness exercises you can do in the morning that’ll help start your day the right. And of course, to be productive.
Are there any other mindfulness practices you can think of doing?
About the author:
Iman Walker is a freelance copywriter and blogger for the personal development industry. She enjoys writing on a variety of topics related to self-growth and productivity.