Many of us are woken by our cats each day, begging to be fed. I happen to think that’s a great way to start the day, but I’m an early bird. While you may not be able to stop a hungry cat from waking you, you can control other aspects of how you start off your day – after you feed the cats, of course!
What you do first thing in the morning can have a profound influence on the rest of your day. Start things off right by consciously choosing positive rituals. And you don’t have to take a lot of time to do it.
Here are some suggestions for starting the day off right:
- Think about five things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is a powerful force. It can shift your mood and your thoughts from a place of scarcity to a place of abundance and joy. Gratitude is about being in the present moment, and appreciating what’s around you.
- Meditate. Ideally, you should spend 15-20 minutes, but even a 5 minute mini-meditation can set the tone for a day that will be less rushed, more focused, and more peaceful.
- Enjoy your first cup of coffee or tea of the day without multi-tasking. This is my favorite part of the morning. After I feed Allegra and Ruby, I take my freshly brewed cup of coffee to my favorite spot in my living room and enjoy it while I look out the window. I let my thoughts drift to wherever they want to go. Some days, Allegra and Ruby will join me, other days, they’re busy doing their own thing. Either way, it’s a great way to start the day.
- Think about how you can brighten someone’s day, or how you can pay something someone else did for you forward.
- Open the windows. I am a big fan of fresh air. No matter how hot, or how cold it is outside, I like to let some fresh air in first thing in the morning. It’s a symbolic clearing of the energy of sleep and rest, and welcoming in the energy of activity and light.
For more suggestions on how to start your day off right, read Start Your Day in 33 Different Ways.
Do you have any favorite rituals that help you start your day off right?
I love to sit up in bed, and take a few minutes to pet the furries…until they get impatient for breakfast!
That’s a great way to start the day!
I am a big fan of all of those things, except that I never thought about opening the window in the middle of winter when it’s 10 degrees outside. And yet, it actually makes sense to do it for a minute or two to let some fresh air in. I have another morning ritual also. I write a page in my notebook taking one word and focusing on all things about that word — examples of words I have used include productive, believe, success, connectivity, energy, trust, calm, happiness, clarity, etc. This helps set the intention for the day, what I want to create. Sometimes I also just read previous pages of words I particularly need to focus on.
Someone on Facebook pointed out that the opening the windows in any kind of weather habit may have something to do with my German heritage, Julia. I love your morning ritual of focusing on and writing about a word to set your intention for the day.
I do all of the above with cats of course. The first face I see is always a cat, either Odin or Merlin, then hubby. Now off to share the <3 love…
Thanks, Layla. I love that hubby comes in second 🙂
How perfect and straightforward. I love that.
Thanks, Barbara!
Great advice! I tell Jen to face the world the way I would. She’s not perfect, but she’s getting better!
You have to be patient with humans, Rumpy!
What a wonderful post to start off the day. You helped to get ours off to a good start.
Thanks,
pawhugs, Max
Thanks, Max! Have a great Sunday!