Meditation, Positivity + The Best Morning Routine

Posted by Brittany Hay on January 30, 2019

Meditation and practicing mindfulness is proven to be an effective tool in stress management and overall health. More people are discovering that even 10 minutes of meditation to start or finish the day helps to get in a clear mindset. If you haven’t yet had a chance, check out our meditation blog series, where we give you Meditiation 101 for beginners, followed by The Health Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness!

Meditation can also be a vehicle for positive self-talk. For example, you may repeat a positive affirmation to yourself such as, “I know my worth” or, “My strength is greater than any struggle.” As you meditate, repeat your phrase of choice with conviction – really own it! With mindful repetition, you are working to rewire your brain towards positive thinking and believing in yourself. And remember: it’s a practice. Some days it may come easily and some days may be hard.

The person you talk to the most in a day is yourself. Most of us lean towards negative or positive self-talk by default.

“If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.” It’s possible with practice to shift towards a more positive outlook in order to broaden your views and manage stress more effectively.

Let’s say you’re working on a project and your first thought that comes to mind is, “This is too complicated.” It may be, but let’s re-frame that phrase: “I’ll tackle it from a different angle.” While the initial negative self-talk is defeatist, the positive self-talk allows the room for possibility. Consistently working at shifting self-talk to a more positive mindset has many benefits from lowering feelings of distress, to improving your ability to fight the common cold (yes, seriously!).

According to the Mayo Clinic: “It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.” The Mayo Clinic has a wonderful article on How to Identify Negative Thinking and How to Foster Positive Thinking. It’s well worth the read!

This is powerful advice on positive self-talk from Sinclair Preston Ceaser III on Twitter:

“My therapist taught me to interrupt my anxious thinking with thoughts like: ‘What if things work out’ and ‘What if all my hard work pays off?’”

It’s a sure way to silence anxious, catastrophic thoughts, I assure you. 😉

Morning Routine

It really helps to start your day on a positive foot by feeling balanced, calm, focused, and energetic.
Here’s an example of a great morning routine to practice:

• Wake up early! This way you are not rushed and can savour your morning before heading out for the day.
• Drink a glass of warm lemon water or plain water. This is really important as we’re so dehydrated after a full night’s sleep.
• Choose a 15 minute meditation or repeat a positive affirmation or mantra. This can be guided or self-directed.
• Once you’ve tended to your mind, practice yoga or your favourite fitness choice. Stretch well to wake up your body and get the blood flowing after sleeping.
• Eat a healthy breakfast and sip on herbal tea. Lemon balm is great for calming (Nervine class of herbs) or dandelion root for liver detox.
• Take care of your hygiene. Get ready for your day by using natural personal care products.
• Smile. Breathe. Look in the mirror, and tell yourself “You’ve got this!”

Written by Holly Pluchinski, Certified Yoga Instructor, Owner of Kayfabe Yoga, and Huna Operations Assistant.

References:
Mayo Clinic Staff (2017, February 18). “Positive thinking: Reduce stress by eliminating negative self-talk” from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

Sinclair Preston Ceaser III (2018, April 10) from Twitter: https://twitter.com/sinclair_ceasar/status/983876811523280896?lang=en