Happy Monday loves!
Too often we start our weekdays off on the wrong foot, we are stressed because it’s Monday, which means we go back to the hustle, the weekday grind and as a result we already feel like we are behind. As we wake in a panic, we look at our long to do lists and already the negativity starts to crawl into our headspace. Before we know it, we are off on the wrong foot, grouchy, with a coffee stain on our clothes because we were trying to carry and do too many things at once. But, because we are running late per usual, we don’t have time to change so we just roll with the stress as we rush off to work.
What if, you could start your day off on a different note, one that embodies, empowerment, positivity, love and light?
Yes, it is 100% possible and honestly my morning rituals are part of the foundation I have found for improving my depression and anxiety in a holistic manner. For me, personally, medication was not an option my body responded to in a healthy manner. So I set off on a quest to find a way to improve my quality of life both mind, body and spirit in a way in which I had control over. Hence….enter my morning holistic ritual for healthand well being.
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Each person is unique in their own ways, which requires specificity in how they approach their morning ritual for health and healing. After months of attempting to figure out what worked best for me, I finally find a system that embodied the areas where I lacked, which became the focus on what I wanted to improve and heal.
After reading several different books, taking meditation and yoga classes, and attending therapy, I found that my morning ritual was necessary for success in my day both mentally and professionally. Through the process of trial and error, I find a method to the madness and a successfulritual system that has been the foundation for me to establish a new set of principles by which I live my life.
MORNING RITUAL STEP ONE: ALARM CLOCKS
Insomnia was something I had struggled with for severalyears, I would sleep in, snooze my alarm constantly because I just wasn’t ready to deal with my stressful work day and because…well I was exhausted from not sleeping. Prior to my new morning ritual system, I would wake up to the alarm on my smartphone….not even realizing, once I stopped snoozing the alarm I was already checking emails and responding to messages on my social media.
After time and research, I found not only how unhealthy that was but that it had no benefit to my personal healing. Therefore, I found an alarm clock that wakes me up mimicking natural sunlight regardless of what the weather was outside (which was HUGE because I live in an area that is gray a lot). After implementing this into my routine, I found I woke up with LESS stress and felt calmer, less rushed and happier to see light instead of darkness.
MORNING RITUAL STEP TWO: AFFIRMATIONS & MEDITATION
Once I was up that was magical in itself, but then I typically would rush to get my workout in, shower and make breakfast before starting my daily commute. What I didn’t realize, was that I was never setting an intention for my day and as a result I would just accept my day for what it became instead of creating the necessary energy to determine the outcome.
Now, I’ve found, the most effective way to start my day is my giving myself fifteen minutes of personal reflection, utilizing positive affirmation cards, a personal journal and my salt lam and crystals to set the right energy for success in my day. Each morning I pull a card from three different decks, I then meditate and manifest what those cards draw out of me and then journal how I feel and what I want to work on. From there, I write down my affirmations regarding the goals I am working to achieve and then meditate on them all while having crystals around me to help heal in the areas where I feel I am lacking. Personally, I do this in front of my goal and affirmation boards to improve my ability to achieve my goals and give my work space positive and empowering energy.
MORNING RITUAL STEP THREE: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Now, if you’re anything like me when someone says the words “personal development” you probably thing it’s some woo woo nonsense where someone is going to tell you that you’re awesome and you’re going to do amazing things. Reality, if you’re reading personal development you don’t think you’re awesome nor do you think you’re going to do amazing things….but you want to! For me, I choose the books I read every morning specifically in the areas I need to grow personally. Each book I choose is a reflection of an area not only do I need to grow in but want to grow in to continue my journey in the right direction to be able to achieve my goals and live life with more purpose.
Each morning, once I have woken up properly, completed my affirmations, I drink my all natural pre-workout in preparation for my workout and then read 20 minutes of personal development while I wait for it to kick in! What I’ve found since reading personal development, is that I am more confident, more open minded, more understanding with others and myself. Through my readings, I learn how to give myself grace, how to get real with myself and how to effectively implement what I am learning in my day so that my triggers do not overcome me and cause me to have a setback. Honestly, it’s also helped me to improve my relationships with the people in my life so that those who don’t serve me no longer affect me in a negative way.
MORNING RITUAL STEP FOUR: HEALTH & WELLNESS
Here’s the part where some people will either roll their eyes or start focusing more because the one part to my holistic healing journey that has been most impactful has been my relationship with working out. When I stopped trying to achieve a set number on the scale and started focusing on the benefits to my well-being I find an inner strength I didn’t know I possessed. Each day that I start out with either a workout or yoga session that I use through my online gym to fit into my busy schedule, I find a clarity I didn’t have after initially waking up.
So many people see fitness only for physical benefits, when in reality the endorphins that you achieve through moving your body can be the most beneficial part of your day because you truly are a happier person. Each day, I workout for 30-60 minutes, I unplug, silence my phone, and give back to the body that works so hard every single day. By doing this in the morning, I have found that I am a more pleasant and positive person, I feel ready to conquer my day and my depression and anxiety are no longer an issue no matter how stressful the day becomes.
LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE
That’s been my motto for 2018, to live life on purpose. By utilizing the systems I have described, I have found that these rituals have been the most beneficial to healing naturally. My mission, is to empower other busy women to find their purpose driven path instead of hustling so hard for other people’s dreams. Through these rituals, I have been able to manifest my dreams and achieve my truest and most authentic path. It’s not so much what’s on your plate as much as it is do the things on your to do list serve you. Hope you’ve found this helpful and beneficial as you find a way to your purpose driven lifestyle.