Waking up early…Set the Tone for the Day!

Waking up early…Set the Tone for the Day!

There are some people that handle all of the stresses of the day with ultimate ease.  Every obstacle or situation they have to deal with is a breeze, everything rolls off of their back (if things don’t roll off your back then you may be experiencing emotional back pain, just saying!).  If you are one of those lucky “easy rollers” maybe you don’t need to read on; yet if you want to improve your amazing stress free life, or if you are like the rest of us that react imperfectly to stress, then read on! 

I work hard to place positive messages in my brain first thing every morning.  By doing this, I can shape my own "reality" into what I envision, rather than waiting for someone else to put messages in my head, messages that may or may not be positive.  When you begin your day by placing positive messages into your head, you are much more likely to be more resilient and in a better mood the rest of the day.  It's just that simple. Did you ever wake up “on the wrong side of the bed”?  Did you ever have stressful or bad news in the morning that ruined the rest of your day?  I don’t know about you but I always feel better when I start the day off on a positive note.

Why do I do this?  Because I want the best for me and I want the best for the people I interact with every day.  If I’m not at the top of my game then it makes it more challenging to help others.

 So- what does that really mean?  Here is an example of what I do every day for my morning ritual:

The alarm clock is set for 4:45AM but 80% of the time I don't even need an alarm, I’m just up a few minutes before it goes off.  I know it’s early yet I have found that in order to really get my head in the right place before I leave for the office in the morning I prefer to take my time and perform certain rituals.  I need time to fit all of these things in so I choose to wake up early.  Maybe your routine is much simpler; maybe you don’t have to be at the office so early.  Wake up whenever is best for you.

  As soon as my eyes open, my first conscious thoughts go towards prayer.  I’ve been saying the same one every day for years; it works for me.  It gets me to feel connected to G-d and the magic of the world right from the start.

I’ll skip the details of my bathroom habits and simply state that while I’m waiting for my shower water to heat up I spend a few minutes writing down what I am grateful for.  I choose to write 3-7 things to quickly journal about.  

After getting dressed I go downstairs for breakfast (lately nuts or seeds) and I take my supplements with a big glass of water.  Then it’s back upstairs to meditate 20-25 minutes.

Now it’s time to kiss my family farewell, fill up my 40oz water bottle, grab my coffee, high fiber gluten free crackers and off to the car. 

During my hour commute I listen to something uplifting; whether it’s a recording from my coach; a philosophy podcast; or an interview with someone that I am interested in; I must put something positive in my head before I get into the office!

All of these morning rituals developed over time…NOT overnight!  I put one in a time and gradually started waking up earlier.  I actually fought my coach on almost every suggestion he made and then did a little bit of it anyway because I knew it was the right thing to do I (how did you know? Unspecific).  On follow up conversations he praised me for what I had done and then asked me to do more.  Each time I added a piece, my life improved.  I don’t know why we can’t just snap our fingers and change…it really IS that easy but if it takes a while…don’t worry…you have a lifetime! 

 Just remember, these rituals are for YOU!  Many of us have kids, pets, significant others that are part of our mornings as well.  Find that extra time for yourself and you will be a better person for them.

So, to sum up, the rule for this post is:

RULE—create my own morning ritual that lifts me up!

Things to think about adding:

·         Prayer             

·         Meditation

·         Exercise

·         Stretching

·         Goals

·         Journaling

·         Grateful List

·         Nourishing food

·         Water

·         Supplements

Dr. Jason Piken, a 1996 graduate of New York Chiropractic College. During Chiropractic College he became proficient in Gonstead (a system of analyzing the spine) and has since spent hundreds of seminar-hours broadening his technique skills to include, Chiropractic Biophysics and Applied Kinesiology. For more information about Dr. Piken, please visit his website at www.innatechiro.com.