I AM A TOTAL MORNING PERSON.
In fact, I am so obsessed with the morning that I get sort of salty if someone in my house wakes up and interrupts my sunrise hour of personal power.
Namaste, right?
But seriously, those first moments are so crucial for creating the kind of day WORTH waking up for.
Now if you are thinking I’m insane, I get it. Uber-judgy-lawyer-Bridget (AKA me 10 years ago) probably would have called me insane too.
But that’s because she didn’t do these three simple things before checking email, scrolling Instagram or even sipping coffee.
And these three things need to be non-negotiables for AM bliss. So here they are!
DO NOTHING. JUST BE.
When I first wake up in the morning I resist the urge to dive into my to-dos. I purposefully hit snooze on my alarm and invest in eight minutes of pure presence. I stretch. I breathe. I wiggle my fingers and toes, just like I always do when my yoga teachers gently coax me out of savasana. I squeeze my knees into my chest and give myself a big bear hug.
GET GRATEFUL.
After giving myself a squeeze, I make a list of the people, places and things I’m grateful for. If you ever draw a blank, just say thanks for rainbows, puppies and the undisputable fact that we are living, breathing beings with another shot at living up this thing called life.
If you are in need of inspiration, join our gratitude immersion now. Sure, we started November 1 but thankfulness doesn’t have a due date or an expiration date. #gratefulfeelsgood all the time.
MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU GET TO DO (NOT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO).
This one is probably the most important. I’m totally and completely guilty of filling up notebooks with long lists of mundane musts, which riddle me with anxiety unless and until everything is checked off. Please, please, please do not start your morning with what you have to do. Start it with what you GET to do. Yoga classes, coffee dates, long showers, breezy runs, deep talks, kick ass presentations, happy hours. All the things that make you feel refreshed, renewed, reinvigorated and reconnected. List THOSE things before you even get out of bed. I promise the notebook will be waiting for all the other stuff (if you need it).
This post originally appeared in the NJ Yoga Collective’s Deep Thoughts Section.