How to win the battle from the very start.
BATTLEFIELD
The day is the battlefield. You are the warrior. Ahead of you lies gruesome warfare soon to erupt, but you're just a new recruit. You're clueless, confused, and scared. "Every battle is won before it is ever fought,". You tremble with fear. You can't even stand straight and sturdy, how will you fight the war? Similarly, if you don't take charge of a day's start, how will it continue well? What if the soldier had known what he had to do and had been trained in the ways? You are about to be right now.
The morning is the most crucial time of the day. What you do then will set the tone for the rest of the day. If an artist paints a work about death, he will apply a dark gray background first, not a yellow, bright one. You need to carry out certain actions in the morning that will serve your purpose for the day. By developing a morning routine, you cultivate discipline and order in your daily life. You, choosing to do the right thing at the very start carries on to the rest of the day. By reinforcing purposeful and positive actions every morning, you can win the 24 hours. As such, here are a few DO and DONTs when it comes to morning routines.
DONTs
1. Check notifications. The first thing you engage in when a brand new day starts is an act of submission. Instead of self-control and discipline, you succumb to the dopamine craving and check your notifications. Somehow, MAGICALLY, your fingers fly around and the next thing you know, you're scrolling endlessly. When I got rid of this habit, it was MUCH easier to do more effortful actions that benefitted me long term. So try practicing delayed gratification.
2. Video games and social media. It's common knowledge by now that the stimulation these sources supply drains us of mental AND physical energy. It's what gives you the feeling of a hangover after a long gaming session. Dopamine is the reason you're alive. When you deplete it on such pitiful sources right in the morning, you will, not, feel, motivated to do much else. To preserve your motivation, practice progressive stimulation. For example, 30 minutes of screen time in the morning, 45 minutes in the afternoon, and 1 hour at night. This ensures you have the energy and motivation to do whatever you want earlier in the day.
DOs
Physical balance
1. Rehydrate. It has been 8 hours since liquid Dihydrogen Oxide cleansed the passage of your throat. You're thirsty, and groggy, and will continue to remain so until you...GULP. Your body has spent a behemoth of energy when you're sleeping to repair and maintain itself. Drinking water is the least you can do to compensate for it. I have my water bottle right by my bedside, and the first thing I do when I wake up is drinking a good amount of water.
2. Sunlight and fresh air. Seriously, open your windows, stick your head out, and get a nice inhalation of fresh air (unless you're in India, please, don't. I don't want you to get bronchitis first thing in the morning). A good, fresh supply of clean, outside air sends oxygen to the brain, helping it focus. Sunlight gives you the vitamin D you need for the day, and you can't spell day without D (bad pun, sorry).
Mental balance
3. Meditation. Let's look at the stories of 2 friends. Jeffrey wakes up, checks his notifications, finds out his assignment is due tomorrow, and he begins panicking. The first emotion he feels for the day is fear, panic, and anxiety. He can't think straight and doesn't even know how to start on his assignment. Adonis wakes up, rehydrates himself, and gets some sunlight and fresh air. After that, he finds out he still has a school assignment due tomorrow. He, however, doesn't panic. Instead, he sits cross-legged on his mat, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and focuses his thoughts inward. Within 10 minutes he doesn't have a trace of anxiety. He begins the day with peace and tranquility. Therefore, he is not bogged down by panic and can focus his thoughts on doing his assignment well.
Meditation helps you focus your mind away from internal distractions and free yourself of negative emotions. This gives you a clean slate to start the day with. Meditation gives you the clarity to plan and engage in a day that is productive. So start meditating at least 5 minutes a day, starting today. Don't let me down.
4. Reading. Before you do anything mentally intensive, it's good to get your brain warmed up. Reading books is a great way to do that. Be it the news, a storybook, or a non-fiction book, reading requires you to focus. At the same time, it's not as bad as calculus, where you have to unleash your inner Archimedes.
5. To-do list. We have idled countless hours away just because we think we have nothing to do until we realize there was an assignment we had or a project we wanted to start working on. Give your day direction by making your to-do list, so that time is well spent. You can check out my article on how to make a to-do list here:
6. Showers. Warm showers help with blood circulation, cold showers help with a state of alertness, and cold showers can help improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Choose.
THE WAR
In short, DON'T: check social media, play video games and check notifications first thing in the morning.
DO: Rehydrate, meditate, get sunlight and fresh air, read, plan out your to-do list, and have a shower. You got this. Consider helping me out by liking this post and subscribing to my content, it makes me, happy. When I am happy, I write better articles, making you MORE HAPPY. That said, good luck. Win the battle before it even starts.