The Best Morning Habit to Develop
Starting out your day this way could really make a difference in your daily happiness levels.
Our world is pretty overwhelming right now and I think I’m in the majority when I say it’s been hard to plan for the future, much less stay positive about what I’m doing day to day.
As much as it’s hard, we have to keep going. We are going to get through this, it’s just going to take time. With every seemingly impossible period in our history, we make it through. I know we’re all tired, but we have to keep fighting to stay strong within our inner worlds. If we can’t create lasting happiness in our daily lives, we can’t hope for it in the world at large.
I have found that mornings have been an invaluable time of day that I don’t like to waste, especially now. They’re a reset from the day before, a quiet opportunity to plan for hours ahead to fill the day with something that brings joy and peace.
How to not misuse them: don’t touch your phone right away.
In order to create a space for lasting happiness, don’t look at your phone until you have made your inner world sound. This can take the form of waking up and starting your day in meditation and reflection, either by journaling or sitting quietly with your thoughts and feelings. If you’re not into that or don’t have time, it could even mean just getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, and using the bathroom mindfully and without the distraction of technology. Try making it at least the first 30 minutes upon waking without the influence of other people or other things on your time.
Check in with yourself before you check in with the world. Happiness lies within.
Our world is filled with so much negativity and fear. It’s easy to give into the worry and read the news straight away or connect to friends/family immediately upon waking so we never have to feel alone in this. But in doing that, we are internalizing all the stuff we read or the emotions of our companions. It’s heavy stuff a lot of the time, so it’s best to prepare ourselves for it.
It has been proven that getting on your phone instantly upon waking causes extreme stress and anxiety. You are immediately bombarded with notifications and news and external commotion. Our brains don’t know how to deal with it all properly and make it our main priority, making it very difficult to focus on other things. It then becomes harder to plan for the day when you wake already feeling distracted and overwhelmed.
For me, my first hour awake looks like a meditation and morning pages in bed, followed by brushing my teeth and practicing my affirmations to myself in the mirror. I will also usually come up with at least one thing I plan on doing during my day that would feel beneficial in some way. Maybe it’s going on a hike, learning a new song on the guitar, or researching a graduate school. After I feel I’ve taken enough time for me, I’ll unlock my phone. We have control over one thing and one thing only in every situation: ourselves. We can only control how we react to what happens around us and we can only truly do that if we are mindful and in touch with our emotions.
Making yourself aware of everything happening in our polarized, pandemic-ridden world won’t change what’s happening. The media isn’t bringing us much good news these days, so be prepared for it. Be prepared by readying your mind, making it strong and resilient.
I encourage you to wake up and start your day in a place of appreciation, awareness, and accord. Be thankful to wake up another day.
You don’t owe anyone else anything, there’s no need to start off your day on their agenda over your own. You aren’t helping anyone when you choose to do that. I find that most people feel they have to be in touch constantly with what is happening. But what is that accomplishing really? Especially if you’re neglecting your own life in the process. Strive to wait 30 minutes to an hour before turning on your phone and opening yourself up to the crazy world we live in. And when you do eventually plug in, try not to get enveloped. What you read can only affect your personal world to the extent you let it.
Your mental health is what matters most. Keeping yourself sane is what matters most. Get into a headspace where you can take in the information you read, and still create your own day. Create your own experience. Everything else can spiral and spiral, and we will have no say. Choose to change only what you have control over. Choose to start out each day reminding yourself just how pleasant a good morning stretch really feels.
