There is no denying, life can be stressful. There are times when I wake up in the morning feeling anxious and stressed thinking about work and my long to do list. I’m working hard to eliminate the excessive stress at my job, but some things are out of my control. I do, however have complete control over what I do in the morning before I go to work. And so, do you.

If our mornings are filled with chaos or anxiety, it’s important for long-term health to create a routine that works and helps us get our day started right. If your morning at home is out of balance, you could probably expect that to continue throughout the rest of the day. It’s not too late to set up a routine in the morning that will prepare you better for the rest of your day.

You may already have a routine that works for you, and if you do, please share with us, it may help someone else! Here is my current routine that has helped me tremendously.

First off, I make my bed. I know there is a book out there with that title, and it’s on my “to read” list. I think it basically says that’s how to accomplish the first task of the day, a small victory and that you will feel better for it.  Others say that not making your bed is a statement about you and your personality. I don’t know about any of that, I just know that I feel better when I get home later and the bedroom looks neater.

Once the bed is made, without a doubt, nature calls.

After that, I’m off to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee. The smell of fresh coffee brewing always wakes up my senses in the morning. (Although nothing beats the smell of bacon working its way up to my bedroom on a Sunday morning growing up)

Next, I sit down in the kitchen, just me and my coffee mug and I begin my practice of gratitude and affirmations. It makes sense to combine the two, as I give thanks for the things in my life now, and the things that I am working towards each day.

I find practicing gratitude at the start of the day helps me keep life in perspective. It’s also the only time that I can do it uninterrupted and without distraction.

I have a formula that I work through which keeps me on track and helps me cover the parts of my life that are important to me.  Once I start the list, it goes on much longer than I realize. I can’t name every single blessing in my life, every day, so I work through the different areas of my life.  When I do that usually there are a few highlights that come to mind, and then I can dig into those specifically.

Here are the general areas I focus on:

1. Waking up this morning and being alive.
2. Love that is present in life
3. Family
4. The day ahead and my place in it
5. A sound mind
6. Past, Present and Future events
7. Physical Health
8.  Community of friends
9. All the gifts miracles and blessings I experience
10. Material things
11. Abundance

Each of these areas have specific items under each of them. When I think of my community of friends, someone specific will come to mind that I pray or give thanks for. Or I pray for someone’s health and give thanks for their healing.

This practice or prayer time takes about 20 minutes. When I first started doing this a couple years ago, I wrote it down in a journal every morning. You may prefer to do that until you establish a regular routine. Writing it and visualizing together can be powerful. When I am alone, I speak my gratitude and affirmations out loud.  May sound a little crazy, but I’m OK with that.

As I mentioned, it is easy for me to work in some positive affirmations here as well. Many of the topics that I express my gratitude for also contain a component that is in the future. For example, when I give thanks for my good health and the amazing creation that I am, I also say “I am physically fit healthy and happy in all ways”. A simple affirmation that is easy to believe. And while I am giving thanks for the day ahead of me, one of my affirmations there is that” I am a strong, loving man of action”. Also, easy to remember and reminding my subconscious of who I am that day. Those are just two of many that I often use.

 Affirmations I have been saying every morning for a long time pop up often during the day during situations that need them. They will often help me pause and take a better action or put something into perspective…

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Lastly. Once I finish coffee and my prayer time, I head for the bedroom floor to stretch. I like to get down on the floor, and just go through a few simple stretches. I don’t do anything extreme. Sometimes, the most important part of that routine is getting down on the floor and getting back up again. As we get older, it’s critical to be able to lift your own body weight, and I see way too many people my age struggle with things like that. It’s a good idea, at the very least to keep your flexibility operating at its best.

Hope this helps! If anyone wants some suggestions for good affirmations to work into your practice or if you want to share some that you use, please send me a note. Love to hear from you!