Ladies,

What are your thoughts when you first wake up on a Monday?  Do you hear birds singing? Does the sunlight gently stream through your open window and sweetly kiss you awake with whispers of your beauty?  Well, I’m not Cinderella, and that is not typically my experience. I’m sure depending on our unique situations, if we took a poll, it would be all over the map! I’ve always been of the opinion that a little anxiety is healthy and productive – keeps you on your toes you see – so I generally wake up in a state of mild panic to begin my day.  Especially as a working woman, a boss, or an entrepreneur, you’ve got things to do! However, I’m starting to realize as I hit my 3rd decade of life, that all that anxiety is giving me grey hair, and maybe not helping me accomplish more.  Is it worth re-evaluating our morning mental status?

Here are a few that run through my mind as I open my eyes…let’s see if you relate.

• Ahg – it’s Monday – than means I need to do things!
• How do I feel? Does anything hurt?  What does my body need to start functioning immediately?
• What time is it? How long do I have before I need to start breakfast and get my husband out the door?
• Dogs – are the dogs awake? Do they need to go out yet? How cold is it? Did I leave the heat on last night?
• Ok, once all that stuff is done…what am I REALLY going to get done today….????

Sound familiar?  If you are a middle class woman-of-the-house in America, this may be you more often than not.  But, here is what I am finding the older I get.  I spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy yelling at myself in my head to be “as productive as possible” every minute of every day until my body just says no.  But while I’m so busy be-rating myself, am I actually able to do my best? Not usually.  Usually my best work comes when I let it come naturally.  Absolutely I make lists, I have schedules, I have to work within the parameters of others.  But for my best problem solving and productivity, I can’t be running from the voice in my head, I need to be creating the mental space let my best work happen.

How do we do that? Well, a routine helps.  Some of us like routines more than others, I like a loose routine with lots of room to adjust.  Also, replacing our axious thoughts with truthful or positive thoughts helps.  Let’s break it down together –

1. Before you go to bed – make the list of MUST happen vs. WANT to happen. Usually, when you write it out, the list of what MUST happen is not actually very long, most of what we burden ourselves with are things that we just WANT to happen.  And that is ok!  You should have a long list of things you want to accomplish, but if they don’t get done, or change along the way, we need to remind ourselves that WE are the ones who put those expectations there in the first place, and not beat ourselves up over it.
2. Next – Let your first thought be a positive one. It may help you to write something down to read every morning, or have a book or devotional handy, even a little sign or photo that is in your line of sight when you open your eyes.
3. You are worth it! Make sure the first few minutes of your morning are actually YOURS.  Just to be glad you are alive, be glad you are opening your eyes, be glad you were created to be a light to the world, because YOU ARE!  Taking a little time in the morning to feel loved and lovely will help you give love to others the rest of the day.  (Yes, this sounds cheesy and new-agey, but it’s also true, so let’s not fight it too hard.)

I will share my example with you – I wake up about an hour before my husband does, let the dogs out, and stand outside saying a little prayer of gratitude and hope for my day.  Then I make some tea or coffee and a little snack, grab my tablet or book, and snuggle back in the bed  for about 30 minutes to watch or read something that makes me happy.  It can be profound or silly, it doesn’t matter, something that reminds you to be confident and excited about your day.  Once I’ve done that, eaten a little something, and let my body and mind finish waking up, then I get the hubby off to work, and THEN I can officially carry on with my “productive day.”

Even that though ladies, we are so quick to dismiss all the little things we do, and feel like we haven’t done enough, when truly, we are either doing for others, or recuperating from the doing, every waking moment!  And that is how it should be, let’s take complete advantage of this one and only life.  Yet, come Monday morning, or any morning, let’s be kind to ourselves in the process. Are you with me?  No more yelling at yourself in your head.  Say nice things, cheer yourself on, and you’ll be amazed by how much your work and relationships will excel.

Happy Monday pretty Peacocks!

~ Captain Morgen