Do this ONE thing and change your day, for all days.

I am not making overclaims, I am simply reminded of a crucial part in my journey for mindful living. With the constant noise in the world, sometimes it is too much to bear. I found a way to start my days right.

This one thing is to - stay in silence.

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash


No reaching out for your phone.
No asking Alexa or Google Home for the news or music.
No turning on the TV.

Just lie down in silence and do nothing. Stare at the ceiling, breath deep, look out your window and simply savor the early morning sounds of the world. You know those ASMR-videos we love watching on Youtube? Yes, ASMR it all out in real life.

My slow mornings during this pandemic has become a game changer for me. My routine consists of listening to my every move - from the rustling of my sheets as I stretch some more in bed to the time I brush my teeth and splash cold water on my face. Next I will be doing my yoga stretches in bed, maybe a 10-15 minute meditation. Making breakfast has become a joyful ritual in itself. Every switch, chopping, every clanking of dishes and pans are my only first sweet music to my ears for the day. If i am able to squeeze in a sketch or reading a few pages from a book then everything will be perfect. But of course, no pressure- your every morning can be beautifully-crafted in quiet in whatever you decide to do with it. As long as there are no distractions from the outside world, just yet. You are in your own solitary sanctuary - where everything is fine and your heart is at peace.

So what are the changes I made to achieve this "silent mornings"? Let me enumerate, just like in a class lol some maybe too basic but still helped me big time.
1. Buy a clock. Instead of reaching for your phone for the time.


2. Enable "Do Not Disturb" schedule on your iphone. I used to schedule a 9pm to 7am of no notifications, now I don't need it anymore. Yes!



3. No music for the first hour. I am such a lover of music mind you, but that this can either pump you up or just energize you too hastily to be on work mode. Slow mornings are best enjoyed with only the calming sound of silence.

4. I charge my phone far from my bed. So it will be harder for me to check anything first thing when i wake up.

5. I write down my to-dos at night or end of day. This is an anti-panic or anti-scattered brain habit that helped me ever since. If you know you fixed your schedules already, there is no need to scramble and rush yourself.

6. Wake up an hour earlier. This allows you time for other things you want to do for yourself, like reading, bible devotions, repotting your plants (yes, you plantito and plantita) or maybe listening to a podcast that inspires you. This one hour is yours, completely.

-----

Of course, I am not perfect. There are rare days I get to peek on my Instagram quickly in the mornings. But whenever I backslide for a few, a reminder pops up to tell me how much I have been on it which signals me to stop already. 

I value my time and try avoiding zombie-scrolling like we usually do. If that happens, I just go back to the reasons why I started appreciating the silence in the first place. I feel good doing things for myself first, so I am ready to work or do family stuff again. I help shoo away the negative thoughts or worries that can creep up. I feel more composed for the day ahead. I am calmer. I feel more complete. (centrum, ad pala ito lol) 

But seriously, I have discovered my most productive days I started first in silence - without my phone.

Who knew something so simple can change how we feel about ourselves? Eventually I've applied this in different pocket moments within the day, and is so liberating.

Go out for a walk.
Watch kids in the park.
Ogle over cute dogs.
Eat a snack.

Let's enjoy more things in life, offline. :)

----

So what "silent" habits do you enjoy doing? Let me know.



Comments

Popular Posts