Why I will always practice slow mornings from now on.
I write this as I sit on my front porch at 7:31 am on a Friday morning, breathing in the crisp autumn air and sipping from my hot coffee, watching the steam rise up over my face. I hear birds chirping and leaves rustling in the trees, along with the occasional dog barking across the street.
The morning sun is peering through the trees and lighting up an area on my porch which softly hits my hands that are cupping my coffee mug. I embrace the warmth it’s providing my body, as the summer months have only just ended and getting used to the colder weather isn’t an easy feat.
I practice breathing slowly as I take in my surroundings and feel nothing but gratitude for the life I am building around me.
I am calm. I am centered. I am grateful.
Yes, I know. This may all sound a little ‘woo woo’ but stay with me on this one. There is a reason why I will always make these slow mornings part of my daily routine. This is because I want to continuously practice being present.
The art of being present.
Starting your day slowly and practicing mindfulness may not seem like an option for some, however I cannot stress enough how important it is to set up the rest of your day. Even if you can only find half an hour, heck, even 15 minutes to practice being present and set intentions for the day, this will help your mental state SIGNIFICANTLY.
Practicing acts of self-care have become an absolute priority for me over the past year. With the impact of the pandemic, self-care is a must. It is not a ‘nice to have’.
Slow mornings are a saviour for my anxiety and I will no longer make myself feel guilty for not being the ‘early bird’ that gets the worm.
For approximately the last decade, I had been caught up in the rat race. I was constantly on the freight train, pushing and striving for the next big thing. Burning myself out over and over and over again. Getting caught up in the hustle culture and always replying with “Yeh I’m soooooo busy”, every time someone asked me how I was. I would wear this with a badge of honour.
When given no choice but to slow down last year, I got comfortable with this new way of life. A life I had never even thought was an option. Actually having time to pause, reflect and return to my true self.
Finding the time to write again, to journal, to read, to listen, to watch. Having time to really and truly BE PRESENT.
With many people now returning back to their previous ways of living pre-pandemic, I have made the conscious decision not to. I have made both bold career changes and lifestyle changes that I will continue to carry out into the future.
I will not be returning to the old version of myself.
I came across this quote by Idil Ahmed that I have printed out and stuck on my wall so I can read it every morning when I wake.
“You can rise up from anything. You can completely recreate yourself. Nothing is permanent. You’re not stuck. You have choices. You can think new thoughts. You can learn something new. You can create new habits. All that matters is that you decide today and never look back.”
So, let’s try and make every morning a Sunday morning. Without the guilt.
Putting on Talking Heads and dancing around the kitchen with my cat is a regular morning occurrence and I’m not apologising for it.
