While I wrote this blog in June, its quite amazing that we are still dealing with some of the same issues, right? Hope this is a gentle reminder of helpful hints to get through your day with joy and presence.
Daily Rituals
Think about how do you begin your day. Do you wake up tired or grateful? Immediately thinking of deadlines or your “To Do” list? Or do you begin by creating your day in terms of feeling good and grateful for certain aspects of your life?
The way you frame your thoughts as you awaken will impact your energy for the rest of the day.
Creating space in your day for a morning or evening ritual allows you to feel that you have some type of control over your life. Right now with the safety protocols and other things we must comply with and do without during the Corona crisis, can’t we have one tiny thing that we control? Yes, we can !
Rituals keep us grounded and feeling a certainty of how we live and interact in the world on a daily basis.
Below are various ways to approach this effort.
Know Your Why
How to maintain mindful awareness of what it is that drives us is utmost to understanding the need to create time for oneself. Now, figure out what you like doing first thing in the morning, or in the evening before bed. Then follow through on making it part of a ritual.
5 Steps Toward Feeling Less Anxious
As we discussed in the beginning of the article, start your day in quiet time even if it is just a few minutes.
- Give thanks for the benefits, blessings and all the things you are grateful to have right now. This sets the tone for your day as one of gratitude and positivity. Try meditating, doing breath work, yoga and stretching and exercise, sitting outside in nature’s stillness if possible. My favorite is breath work. The alternate nostril breathing technique is easy, quick and effective. Breathe in through one side of your nose while holding the other. Breathe out through the alternate side. Do this 4–5 times from each nostril.
- Reach out to your family and friends to see how they are and let them know you care. In so doing, be objective and listen without judgement. It is difficult to do, I understand. This communication also promotes kindness and a feeling of empathy. Listen and offer a positive aspect of conversation or thought to the person.
- Offer others a way to see the positive, through words, pictures, and communication. For instance, on social media or in email, try to send out positive sources instead of the negative points of reference related to our current health crisis. Whatever your strength is, cooking, writing, singing, dancing, fixing things — do that and share it with others in a positive way. Be there for those who are suffering, by sharing your gifts.
- Make a list of 2–3 small goals to accomplish each day and when you complete them congratulate yourself. Offer that tip to others as well, to look at what they have accomplished instead of worrying. If we can be flexible now and create new ways of daily life, we will be better off than waiting to get back to “normal.”
- Focus on the simple things you can control, like writing a letter to a friend or family member. Go outside in your yard, on your patio or on your balcony, look up at the sky, especially at night! Breathe deeply and release. Understand that yes, it is about the journey, not the destination. So much can change in a moment. Every day we get a chance to start over. We are in charge of how we respond to the world. Not the other way around, right? Let us know what rituals you created to feel better every day.
