A View From Above on Things That Make The World Go 'Round
James Donaldson on Mental Health – Morning Routines For Mental Wellness – 5 Self-Care Habits To Start Your Day Right
Posted on by
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
The morning routine you set up can either make your day or break it. The more helpful your morning routine, the better you’ll feel during the ensuing day. It’s easy to make exceptional mornings when you have the right routine. It takes a bit of work, but it’s not as hard as you might think.
Start your morning routine with exercise.
When you think about exercise as part of your morning routine, you might have self-defeating thoughts of pain and sweat. If you aren’t accustomed to exercising in the morning, take it easy.
Start with just 5 to 10 minutes, if you’re not used to morning exercise. Take it slowly and build exercise as a habit, and you may end up training for a half hour or longer, if it works for you. You only need a little morning exercise to truly get your blood moving.
Wait a while to check your phone in the morning.
When you check your phone, especially after a night of sleep, you are inviting in a flood of unnecessary information and stimulation into the very beginning of your morning. Your smartphone holds many potential stressors, including texts that require replies, news notifications or other types of notifications.
Once you check your phone, you’re plugged in for the whole day ahead. Try delaying your phone checking in the morning. When you awaken, you’re usually fairly relaxed, and maintaining that calmness is easier if you don’t grab your phone right away.
Include self-care in your morning routine.
Self-care is often overlooked, but is actually an important part of your morning, to support your well-being and mental wellness. Showers and skin care routines help, as does grooming time and a few minutes to read a book.
Self-care is defined by what is unique to you. Think of things that make your mind and body feel good.
Here are a few ideas to help you start your own self-care morning routine:
Take a bath or hot shower to relax before the day starts.
Relax with a skin care regimen to care for your face and body.
Read a book you like to prepare your brain for the work ahead.
Take some time in your morning routine to use self-care to reduce the chance for burnout and support your healthy work-life balance.
Make checking in with yourself a part of your morning routine.
Many people begin their days and never think about checking in with themselves first. Ask yourself how you are doing and how you are feeling. Are you trying to override some feelings you’d prefer not to address?
It’s important to recognize feelings like those you have when you’re irritable. Do that without thinking about the person you may be working with that day who brings the irritation to the forefront. Recognizing your emotions is helpful and will make facing your day easier.
Use grateful journaling to start your day.
Journaling is an important practice to help start your day in a good frame of mind. You can reflect on what you are grateful for, fostering an appreciative mindset. Focusing on gratitude makes it more difficult to dwell on worries at the same time.
The effects include:
Strengthened relationships
Improved mood
Better quality of sleep
Be specific when you journal and appreciate small and big joys alike. Be consistent, so that your morning routine works to help your mental wellness.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
When you introduce a new morning routine, it will take a bit of time to become accustomed to sticking to it. You can change up the routine if you need to start off feeling a higher sense of well-being. Start small and build up the routine gradually.
Choose morning routine items that you can look forward to. Your routine should start you off in a good mood. Whatever you include in your morning routine has to work for you.
Please follow and like us:
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
Related
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
