My Morning Matters By Kate Leman | Positive Mental Attitude Coach

Over the last few months I have delved deep into personal development books and podcasts. It’s something TOTALY brand new to me, but something I’ve grown to LOVE!

I used to hear about people reading personal development books and I always admired them. "How fabulous" I thought "to care enough about yourself to develop yourself further”, that and “I don’t need to, I’m developed enough” How wrong I was!!

Are we ever finished? Can we ever “complete” development, like we can a computer game or a painting? Aren’t we more complex than that? I began to wonder whether I could be infinite in my abilities and mind set. I wondered whether being “complete” in my development was an enigma, like reaching the bottom of the washing basket! So I started to read.

One book changed all my days from the moment I read it. It ignited something in me that will last forever and has had an incredibly positive impact on me. That book is called The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

I continued to read and listen to new audio books, and the same “things” started to emerge: The importance of reflection, quietness and gratitude. I began to pull all my new knowledge together and create my own morning routine. Which matters. It matters so much that I do it each and every day.

Over the next few days I will share with you my own morning matters and I invite you to take parts of my routine and to create your own. It’s flexible, it will become yours and soon enough your morning will matter too.

Here are the basics...

The ideal situation in the morning is to wake up to your own circadian rhythm, rising when the sun does. The reality for many of us is likely to be different, I for one get woken up when my children creep into my room and shout in my face “Muuuuummmm, are you awake?!”.

It’s not ideal but it’s my reality, one that I found hard to take at the start. But now I know that when I go to sleep at night, the morning will start that way, so when it does I am prepared for it, and that’s ok.

Sometimes, when I’ve listened to my body and mind and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, I will set my alarm to wake me up 30 minutes before the children normally rise so I can take some time to be alone.

A commitment that I made to myself a while ago was, regardless of how I initially wake up (or get woken up!) I will still start my day in the best possible way. Every, single, day.

I invite you to try this for yourself, adapt it, make it your own and enjoy.

You will need a diary and a pen, and something to drink; tea, coffee, hot water and lemon, whatever you like to drink in the morning (I choose a cup of tea and a pint of water).

For me being outside at every opportunity is what makes me feel happy, calm and alive.

So it’s only natural that My Morning Matters are O.U.T.S.I.D.E.

Outside

Get outside as SOON as you can. Connect with Nature. Look up, breathe deeply and be still.

Listen to the sounds around you, pay attention to the natural sounds you can hear. Look up to the vast sky and place yourself, you are ONE person, in ONE space in this whole wide, beautiful, world. How does that make you feel? Does that make you feel insignificant and small? Does it make you feel powerful? Lucky to be on this Earth?

It might help to close your eyes to focus on the sounds you can hear. Can you hear the trees? Rain? Birds? Hear it…really hear it. Breathe the air in, RIGHT into your lungs. Notice how that feels, is the air warm? Is it cold? Take each new breath right into your lungs that have been breathing in the indoor air as you slept. Take this new fresh air in and let it fill you with new life for today.

Unassuming

There is no way of knowing how today will go. Just because yesterday was fantastic or busy or upsetting it bears no impact on today. The only thing you know is the NOW. So be unassuming about the day ahead. Welcome it, surrender to it, breathe it in and get curious for what the day will bring.

This is a really uncertain time for many of us, we are in situations we couldn’t have predicted. We have to keep up and manage ourselves as best we can, otherwise it has the potential to shake us up and destabilise our health, both mental and physical.

We can’t control much at the moment, but we can be present and live in the NOW.

Take it in

Look around you, what can you SEE? Can you see a tree? In the tree can you see the buds of life starting to poke out? Can you see a bird’s nest? Can you see the new life in the nest? Can you see bugs crawling in the bark? Look at the whole thing, then look more closely at the detail! Take it ALL in.

Feel what the air feels like against your skin, is it cold and fresh? Is it warm and comforting? Do the hairs on your arms stand up on end? What does that feel like? Can you smell anything? Can you smell the tea you’re sipping? What does the drink taste like, like actually taste like? Feel it in your mouth, the flavours, the temperature. As you swallow, what does it feel like? What parts of your body are working? Really feel it. I mean stop, and focus and feeeeeeeel it! You see what I mean… Take it ALL in.

Still

Be still, how often are we still? Probably when we sleep, maybe in the bath, maybe when we watch tv but that isn’t conscious stillness. Take that time now to just be still. That’s it, be still.

Instinct

After being still and letting a dreamy state take over for a moment, let yourself ‘come to’, not too much, just enough to engage your mind. But not enough to allow your thoughts to flood in. (Save the To Do List til later!)

Start to listen to your instinctive thoughts. Maybe yo haven’t heard them for a while, days, weeks years even. We’ve become so disconnected.

Did you know your gut has the same number of brain cells as a cat, so your gut instinct is a real thing! It should be respected and listened to. Listen to it now, what it’s saying to you? Is it telling you to send a text message to your aunty to check she’s ok? Is it telling you to take the kids for a short and safe walk (bearing social distancing in mind)? Is it telling you to make a veg heavy soup to feed your gut what it needs to function fully? Listen to it, it knows what it’s talking about!

Diary

Writing is something I have always enjoyed, from writing make believe stories, to letters to my husband when he was in Afghanistan with the Royal Air Force. I have found it a way to cope with ALL situations in my life. I used to keep a diary when I was pregnant with my son and it’s lovely to read back now and then. It’s nice to remind myself of the thoughts and feelings I had at that time, and remember what a magical time it was.

In the mornings I write down two things. If you have read any personal development books these things won’t be new to you. Many, many successful people all across the world do exactly this and now I know why! From Will Smith to Oprah Winfrey to little old me! We all do these two simple things to set our intentions and focus for the day: Affirmations and gratitude.

Affirmations; in case you haven’t come across the word before are, positive statements that provide you with the ability to overcome negative thoughts about situations or yourself. Writing positive affirmations are designed to be read and reread so often that they become a part of you that you intrinsically believe them. They form the backbone of your life, your focus and your beliefs. Such things can include; I am a patient mum, I have a healthy body, I am doing my best, I love myself. You will see here that they are written in the present tense. Do the same.

Gratitude; write down a few things you’re grateful for, what do you appreciate in your life? Write down a couple in your diary, it could be as simple as; I am thankful for the clothes on my back, I am thankful for the warm tea in my hands, I am thankful that I can write and read.

Once you’ve written a couple of affirmations and gratitude, say them out loud, with energy and purpose.

Energy

Now get up. Stand up, tall. And move your body, we need to create energy and get our blood flowing. It’s up to you how you do this, it could be 15/20 mins of yoga. It could be a walk around the garden. It could be bending and stretching your body in a way that feels good to you. It might be a workout you have pre- planned, one of Amy’s workouts on this page, or one you enjoy doing at the gym. Basically, move your body in a way that feels good and gets your heart pumping fresh oxygenated blood around your body.

Then step inside and go about your day.

With love, light and positive energy, Kate x

#keepyourheadhealhty #mymorningmatters