Being a parent is both wonderful and exhausting. This challenging, but worthwhile full-time job means giving up on many of the routines you may have had before. The pleasure of living soon turns into the pleasure of nurturing, and while this is rewarding, it is also very demanding.
At the end of the day, every parent will feel drained from all the energy they managed to gather for the day, and collapsing in bed with a list of worries for tomorrow is inevitable. However, this could be changed.
Of course, every reward requires a little sacrifice. This sacrifice means waking up a bit earlier. Two hours before you usually wake up will suffice to finish these activities that will make you feel like a million bucks.
The results from this new routine you will soon learn to adopt will not only change your outlook on life. It will also change those around you. Really, once you change the outlook on life, you will see that life will change for you too.
- Brew your favorite drink
Waking up and laying around to get over the sleep hangover will only lead to feeling groggy and stiff. Instead, get up and put on some comfortable clothes. Your pajamas may feel comfortable, but changing the attitude for the morning means changing the clothes appropriately.
Get up, and after the bathroom, head to the kitchen to brew your favorite drink. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea and sit next to a window to truly experience the morning. Give yourself some time to sober up from all that sleep and head for the next activity.
- Prayer and/or meditation
Once you have calmed down, it’s time to use that calmness for some prayer or meditation, whatever you prefer. Sit comfortably and have your conversation with God, or with your Self. Sit in complete silence or drift off in your inner spirituality.
Whatever suits your mindset works perfectly, as long as you do it. So, invoke that inner peace and be ready to carry it with yourself for the rest of the day. Meditate for as long or as little as you please. A favorable timeframe is usually 5-15 minutes, but you can lengthen it.
- Read or listen to uplifting/instructional content
Once you have achieved the clarity of mind and you have evoked your inner peace, it’s time to use that concentration to read or listen to some uplifting or instructional content. If you are keen on reading, fetch some of your favorite books, or plug in your headphones and play your favorite audio book.
It’s best if you choose some uplifting or instructional content for your daily dose of wisdom. Don’t replace this time for simple entertainment that you will soon forget. Instead, devote it to the best of thoughts and ideas which will help you find your way through life.
Give some 40-60 minutes to this activity, if you don’t happen to drift away even further.
- Write everything down in a journal
It’s not enough to just get the insights from your meditation, prayer, and quality content. You need to write it down. If you don’t, it will get muddled and lost. If you do, you are far more likely to get further insight and to take action.
Pay attention to these questions and try to answer them:
- Clarity: What do you need to do for the day? What are your big picture goals?
- Gratitude: Have you counted your blessings? Are you open for abundance?
- Inspiration: What new ideas have come to your mind while you were sleeping, praying, reflecting, and getting rich with new information?
- Relationships: What are your relationships like with the most important people in your world? How can you better nourish and improve these relationships further?
- Is there anything else on your mind?
No, this is not the ‘dear diary’ journal. It’s far more effective and it will give you greater insight of where you are at in your life and where you are heading.
- Exercise
In the end, do some light exercise. 10-20 minutes is quite enough to start the day with the revitalizing oxygen you will introduce to your body. Doing exercise in the morning helps you to get rid of the toxins that may be lingering in your body and will definitely give you more energy.
Whatever is your thing, jogging, doing yoga, cycling… you name it – do it after all these previous things and take a shower after you have finished.
SEIZE THE DAY
You have already seized the day by doing these things above. Now it’s time to march on and do whatever you need to do for the day that is ahead. This routine is a game changer and will help you to endure and overcome the challenges that are waiting for you.
Via Huffpost
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.