From Frazzled to Zen: Here’s how a mindful morning routine can brighten up your day!

Fridays: Mindfulness by Miles From the desk of Miles Everson: Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Every Friday, I write about health, wellness, mindfulness, and the future of work with the hopes of equipping you with the tools to navigate and thrive in both your personal life and professional life. Today, I’ll share with you insights that can help you make your days better. Continue reading below to know why a mindful morning routine can help you start your day positively! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

From Frazzled to Zen: Here’s how a mindful morning routine can brighten up your day! In today’s fast-paced world, the constant pressure to be productive has made lots of people forget about the importance of slowing down. As a result, mornings feel more frantic as many are always on the run and eager to get things done. While being always on-the-go, especially in the morning, can help you keep productivity levels at an optimal level, the downside is that this can lead you to start your days with stress, ultimately leading to burnout. If you don’t want this to happen, the key is to slow things down. By doing so, you start your day with a sense of calm, leading you to build up positive energy and attain higher levels of focus. How can you do this? One way is by creating and following a mindful morning routine! A mindful morning routine is all about starting your day with intention and focus on your overall well-being, leading to a calmer and more productive version of yourself. This routine usually involves actions that help you start your day more calmly and positively such as: Setting a calming alarm sound Stretching Journaling Meditating Getting some fresh air Eating a healthy meal Here are two of the key benefits of having a mindful morning routine: It helps reduce stress and anxiety. Starting your day with activities like meditation and deep breathing helps in reducing stress, tension, and anxiety that you feel or could feel throughout the day. It promotes self-awareness. Activities like journaling allow you to reflect deeply on your thoughts and emotions, leading to a better understanding of yourself and how you can become a better individual. … and by gaining a better understanding of yourself, you’ll be able to perform better as a professional and build better relationships with your family, friends, and peers. So, now that you know about the benefits, the next question is… How can you create a mindful morning routine for yourself? Here are a few pointers to follow: Set your intentions before you start your day. This helps you prioritize your objectives and stay more focused on your tasks and goals. Incorporate light physical activities. Doing light physical activities such as basic stretching and mild workouts helps you feel invigorated during your mornings. Doing these activities improve your blood circulation, boost your metabolism, and provide more energy for your body throughout the day. Do breathing exercises. Breathing exercises aren’t just useful for improving lung function and efficiency. Research has found that these activities are also helpful in reducing body pain, stress, and anxiety. Prioritize hydration and the consumption of healthy meals. Eating a healthy meal provides you with the energy you need to accomplish every task you’ve set out to do in your day. This is an important step because a healthy diet helps boost your mental performance. Also, it’s important to stay hydrated, especially once you wake up, because it helps you recover all the water you’ve lost during sleep. Stay away from your phone after you wake up. While it’s hard to avoid checking your phone immediately after you wake up, it’s an important step in creating a mindful morning routine. Why? Grabbing your phone after waking up hinders your brain from producing theta and alpha brain waves that are both crucial in preparing your body to switch from a relaxed to an alerted state. By skipping straight to an alert stage, your mind is much more susceptible to distractions and stress, especially when you see or read something negative the first thing in the morning. Besides, your brain is more attuned to creative and focused thinking when it isn’t overly stimulated after you wake up. This is crucial, especially when you want to create a calm environment for yourself. There you have it—useful pointers that can help you kickstart the creation of a mindful morning routine! Remember: There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to creating an effective routine, so you’re free to choose which of these pointers work best for you and your situation. I hope you apply some or all of these tips as you plan your next morning schedules!     EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. The barriers to entry have never been lower for talented professionals to work independently, and today’s massive external workforce is hardly a pandemic-produced fad. Business owners can only survive in the new work landscape by partnering with this deep talent pool. With decades of experience in both small-business entrepreneurship and executive management at PwC, I truly believe that the future of work is independent. 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