My daily routine is vitally important. By following a consistent daily schedule I am in complete control of whether or not I have a good day. My routine is most important from Monday to Friday as I have to make the time to do the things I love before work. Here are a few things I have applied to my daily life in order to enhance my physical and mental health.
1. Get up early
This takes work and commitment. It took me ages to consistently get up early because I was obsessed with pressing the glorious “snooze” button until I simply had to get up for work at around 8:00a.m. After many battles with both myself and the alarm clock, I am getting more consistent with my early mornings. From Monday to Friday I like to get up at 6:00a.m. because I want to have time to myself before my working day starts at 9:00a.m. The easiest way to get up at this hour of the morning is to put your alarm clock away from the reach of your bed. Your alarm clock should be put in a place where you have to physically get up out of bed to switch it off. Once your legs are moving and you are out of bed, you are ready for the day to begin.
2. Morning meditation
I find that the best time to meditate is in the morning. Once I get out of bed I go straight into my sitting room, sit upright on a cushion and throw on the “Calm app” on my phone for 10 minutes. This part of my daily routine helps me calm any worries or fears of the day ahead. If you don’t have a meditation app on your phone, I highly recommend the “Calm app”. It is 40 euro for the year and has various extremely relaxing guided meditations.
When I tried this at first I attempted lying down whilst meditating. This didn’t work for me as I would fall asleep almost immediately. My girlfriend Tracy would find me at around 8:20a.m., conked out and sprawled across the living room floor. This made me stressed, late for work and pissed off for the day. Please note, this is one situation where you should not lie down whilst meditating. Sitting upright is a must.
3. Exercise
I am addicted to exercise because it makes me happy and helps me manage and overcome physical pain every day. After I meditate each morning I either go to yoga class at the Yoga Hub at 7:00a.m. or I do my own practice at home. If I am at home I wake my body up with 30 squats, 30 press ups and 10 sun salutations. Once I have this warm up done I throw on a 30 -40 minute yoga class on YouTube.
4. Journaling
I downloaded “the 5 minute journal app” about 6 months ago and I use it every morning and evening. The app costs €4.99 and it is extremely helpful in promoting positivity both in the morning as you start your day and in the evening when you are getting ready to go to sleep.
You don’t have to buy this app, you can buy an old fashioned journal and write in your morning and evening entries.
In the morning, before you leave the house for work, write the following:
Morning entries
1. 3 things you are grateful for (e.g. health, your job or anything relevant to you that gives you the feeling of gratitude)
2. 3 things that would make today great (e.g. good food, a walk, meditation, yoga or any other activities that would make your day great)
3. Positive affirmation for the day (e.g. I am positive, I am happy, I am proud of myself – this can be repeated throughout the day to assist you in having a positive day)
In the evening, before you go to bed, write the following:
Bedtime entries
1. 3 great things that happened today
This journaling process is extremely helpful in order to assist you in developing and maintaining a positive mindset on a daily basis.
5.Go to bed early
If you are getting up at 6:00a.m. and engaging in the above activities then you need to get a good nights sleep. I try to aim to get to bed by 10:00p.m. but I don’t nod off until around 11:00p.m. because I like to read a bit before my day comes to an end. 7 hours sleep is enough for me but everybody is different. 8 hours sleep is the recommended amount so make sure that you are getting the appropriate amount of shut eye if you are an early riser.
I try to follow the above routine every day. Some days I fall out of routine and ignore the alarm clock. The days I ignore the alarm are my bad days as these are the days when I am stressed, in physical pain and generally overwhelmed by life. Once I follow the above routine I feel positive, focused and in control of my own health and happiness. This contrast may seem extreme but I promise you that this is not exaggerated. I can sum it up like this; when I follow my routine I am a jolly Dr.Jekyll but when I press that snooze button and dodge my routine, I am a full on raging Mr.Hyde.
Hope the above helps in your daily pursuit of happiness.
Thank you so much for reading.
Happy, determined, positive and focused healing to you all.
Follow me for more regular updates on;
Facebook (https://facebook.com/assmovement)
Instagram (https://instagram.com/theassmovement)
