Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine for Stress Relief and Calmness

Episode Date: January 13, 2020

Start your day with a morning routine designed to help you find tranquility and reduce stress. Develop the ability to find calmness in any situation. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Good morning and welcome to Wake Me Up. The way this podcast works is pretty simple. Just turn on an episode while you're still in bed. All you have to do is follow along. Is that guide you through a refreshing morning routine that's sure to leave you relaxed and excited about your day. To have consistently great mornings, you really just need to have a regular morning routine. That's why Wake Me Up works. If you tune in consistently, you'll become a morning person in no time. And you'll find that if you consistently win your morning, you'll consistently win your day. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave a review.

It'd be really helpful to show others how they might benefit from the podcast as well. And since this podcast is quite new, your feedback is especially helpful. So share your thoughts, stories, and ideas at wake meuppodcast.com. Be sure to subscribe and follow the podcast on whatever platform you're using, so that you never miss a great day. Now let's get started. While you're laying there in bed, you can just listen to my voice, as we slowly begin to wake up over the next few minutes.

Roll on to your back and open your eyes. If you'd like, place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart. Notice the calmness of your body here in this moment before your day has begun. Inhale, filling up your lungs completely, and then exhale. Without any force, just letting it all go. Take a few more breaths just like that at your own pace. Bring some gentle movement to your hand. and feet. Maybe circle your wrists and ankles, or just stretch out in bed, whatever feels good.

Listen to your body, and it will tell you what it wants you to do. So as you're beginning to wake up now, notice how relaxed you are in bed. Maybe it's just being warm and cozy, or maybe there's a sense of safety in bed. Whatever is creating the sense of relaxation you experience, right now. Just take note of it. And imagine if you went about your entire day with the same sense of comfort you have right now. How calm and poised you would be. How content. Well, here's some good news. You absolutely can go through your day in this calm state if you give yourself the tools to do it. So in this episode, we're going to practice one of those tools. That means that your calm, wonderful day starts right here, right now.

Take one more deep breath in, and as you exhale, roll over on your side, place your feet on the ground, and stand up. Feel the energy starting to move through your body. And enjoy that sensation of your feet first landing on the floor. If you want, you can take a gentle stretch. Just listen to your body And it'll tell you Where it wants to loosen up a little Now that you're beginning to wake up

Let's take a moment to get ready for a bit of meditation Have a sip of water if you'd like And make your way to a comfortable position You can be anywhere you'd like Just don't sit in bed And while you get situated I'm going to share my tip of the day Which is a bite-sized piece of information

that will help augment the morning routine you build with this podcast. Stress is a totally normal human experience. Everyone has it, and it produces a predictable response in our bodies. An increased heart rate, an increased breath rate, the release of adrenaline and cortisol, and limited high-level thinking, to name a few things. It's our fight-or-flight response, and it's designed for one thing, keeping us alive,

For most of human existence, that was extremely helpful when we were threatened by a pack of lions or an invading tribe. But nowadays, we typically don't have those life or death threats. The things that cause us stress have changed dramatically. Rarely is it a violent attack, but rather relationships or work are most common. Yet our stress response has remained exactly the same. In other words, we're operating on outdated software. So when you're fed up with your boss, racing to meet a deadline, or in an argument with a significant other, your body reacts as though you're being attacked by a lion. Most of us either get angry or defensive, or just shut down.

And that makes sense. We've triggered fight or flight. But that isn't really the best response to our common day stressors. Have you ever been in an argument? and later once you calmed down, you realized what you should have said but didn't? Let's be real. Our stressed out self is rarely our best self.

What if you were calm and collected in disagreements instead of trying to fight or flee? What would those situations look like and how would their outcomes change? The good thing is that you can learn to control your fight or flight response. you can be calm and collected in any situation. The physiological systems in your body are interconnected. So if you find yourself becoming stressed,

you can slow or stop that stress almost instantly by controlling your body's response to it. First, focus on your breath. Make it slow and deep. And then, transport yourself mentally to a safe, calm space. Pretty quickly, you'll be collected, relaxed, and in a much better state to deal with tough situations. Now let's turn to our meditation for this episode, where we're going to practice finding that safe, calm, mental space.

So sitting upright in a comfortable seat, you can just close your eyes and listen to my voice. As always, we'll begin with some slow, steady breaths. drawing the air deep into your belly, holding it at the top for just a moment, before exhaling slowly. And you can just let the air fall out. There's no need to force it. Inhale again slowly. Taking as much time as you need to fill all the way up.

And once you get there, gently exhale. Take a few more deep breaths, just like that, at your own pace. and try to make your exhale just a bit longer than the inhale. Begin to draw your attention inward. First by noticing the sensations in your body. Take a quick scan, starting at your feet, then moving up your legs, to your hips, up your back and your chest,

out along your arms, up your neck, and around your face and head. Just noticing the sensations in your body right now. What does it feel like to be you in this moment? And you don't need to judge or assign any meeting. Just experience this with yourself. Now just take a moment to watch your breath as it moves in and out. Notice what each breath feels like.

And while you sit, thoughts may come to mind, and that's perfectly fine. Just let them come and go, each time bringing yourself back to watch the breath. Now, think of a place where you feel completely relaxed. It can be anything. Real or made up. Maybe it's a sunny meadow

or your childhood bedroom. Anywhere that makes you feel at ease. Bring the image of that place to mind. Pay attention to all of the details of this place. Where you are, what you're doing, and what you're feeling. What does the air in this space feel like? What does the light in this space look like? What are the sounds that you're hearing?

Maybe you're able to pinpoint what it is about this place that puts you at ease. Maybe not. Either way, just immerse yourself in this place. Feel the sense of calmness and comfort here, and let it spread through your body, bringing with it warmth and relaxation. It starts first in your toes, and it spreads into your feet, moves up your legs, and everywhere it spreads, and everywhere it spreads, your body feels lighter and at ease. It reaches your hips and spreads up your back and your chest, then around your shoulder. Down your arms to the tips of your fingers, up your neck, around the back of your head, and over your face. And as it fills your entire body, you feel everything fall into a state of calmness.

Your face and your jaw relax. Your shoulders might release some tension. Your breath is steady and easy. The calmness and tranquility of this place has washed over you so much that your brain associates those positive feelings with the image of this place. Enjoy a moment of gratitude for this place, this safe space that you can create in seconds. Know that you can come here any time you want or need. It's always here for you. Any time you imagine this place, your mind.

and body will transport to it. Any feelings of stress will disappear to be replaced by calm, relaxation, and contentment. You can begin to bring yourself back to the present moment. Leave that special place knowing that you can go back there at any time. Feel your breath move in and out. Feel the sensation of the chair beneath you. Feel your feet on the floor. You can begin to wiggle your fingers and toes, just bringing a little movement back to the body.

And when you're ready, slowly open your eyes. Take a moment to collect yourself and enjoy the sense of tranquility that you just created. While you do that, it's time for today's send-off. In this final portion of the podcast, I share a bit of podcast. I share a bit of positivity to motivate you for the day ahead. Think back to five years from right now. Remember where you lived, who you hung out with, and what you were doing in life then.

What were your big problems at the time? Or at least, what issues did you face that you considered to be important? Did all of those problems turn out to be as important as you thought they were? Knowing what you know now, should you have cared? as much about each of those problems as you did? For some things, they probably were important. But surely for others, you sit here now and think, why did I care about that so much? The things we choose to care about, that we choose to devote mental space and energy to, have a big impact on how we experience life. Hindsight helps to see whether something was a good use of that energy or not,

whether something was worth stressing about or not. But unfortunately, we don't live in the future. Your future self can't tell you that what you're worrying about doesn't matter. But you can approximate that advice from your future self pretty well. Next time you're really worried about something and it's taking up a lot of your time and energy or a lot of your mental space.

Ask yourself this. Will this matter in five years? Will I or someone else really care about this in five years from now? Answer the question honestly. Some things will matter in five years, but some things definitely won't. Caring about things takes time, energy, and emotional capacity. And that's okay. Caring about things is what gives us purpose and meaning in life.

But we have limited amounts of time and energy. Wouldn't we be better served using the time and energy we do have on things that we truly care about over the long term, rather than on just a passing worry? So use the five-year test to help you sort out worthwhile stress from wasted stress. If you will care about something in five years, then it's probably worth devoting time and energy to it. If it stresses you out a bit, that's okay, because you've decided that it's important to you. that it's important to you, at least for right now. But if you know for sure that you won't care in five years,

why let it ruin your day right now? Why not put that time and energy into something more meaningful instead? Your life is too precious to give it away to insignificant worries. That's all for today, friends. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave a review or share it with a friend. I'd also love to hear from you, so please share your feedback at wake meuppodcast.com. And be sure to subscribe or follow on whatever platform you're listening so that you never miss a great day.

I'll talk to you tomorrow. And until then, I hope you have a wonderful day.