Quick Mindfulness Exercise to Start Day Positive!

I often struggle to find time to meditate but I did identify a fantastic mindfulness exercise I do each morning that takes me about a minute. I then follow it up with a journaling exercise that takes me 2-3 minutes to complete. After I do both I feel I am in a great head space to start my day. Whether I stay there is another challenge…ha. Here I will share what I do as I find when I am in conversations about head space, meditation and/or mindfulness, many people find time as a big hurdle. As I have found, when time is a crunch and the head is spinning with activity, that is when I need mindfulness moments the most.

I listen regularly to all things wellness and if you know me well, the Rich Roll Podcast, is a resource I listen to on a regular basis and has been the most influential education tool for me. Dr. Michael Gervais who has been a podcast guest is a high performance and sports psychologist who works with individuals and organizations, training mindset skills and practices essential to pursue and reveal one’s potential. On one of the episodes with Rich he mentioned an exercise he recommends to his clients that literally takes one minute to start your day off great. I tried it about 4-5 months ago and I absolutely love how it sets my day off on the right foot. I have tweaked the exercise just a bit to suit my needs, call it my Med-4, and here it is:

1. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths – in through the nose…hold for a few seconds and release through the mouth
2. Identify something you are grateful for
3. Determine your intention for the day (how do you want to show up today)
4. Scan your body from head to toe and simply notice what you are feeling. What does it tell you?

Once I complete this I then journal what I’m grateful for and my intention for the day. If what I’m grateful for includes another person(s), I send them a note or tell them during the day what I am grateful for and how they impacted me. What a great feeling to let someone know you appreciate something about them or what they do/did. I then continue the journaling with what my must dos (big rocks) are for the day by category (Ex. performance, work, house, etc.).

I have found doing the exercise right before logging into work for the day (during the week) has been more effective than starting this in bed but find what works for you. It’s a great exploration to put your mind in a great space to start the day. During the day I will focus on breathing techniques especially when stressed and also reflect on my intention and notes. It really makes a difference for me writing it down.

Please share effective mindfulness techniques you use that helps you be your best self. It’s great learning and sharing with each other.

– Add Health to Your Life