It’s ‘Mental Health Awareness Week‘ and here at Rise & Shine, our thoughts have once again turned to the importance of taking action to cultivate positive mental health.
Our mind achieves what our imagination perceives, for good, or bad. We are all experienced in the variety of emotions caused by our own imaginations. But are your thoughts serving YOU? And if not, what can you do about it? It can seem like an overwhelming task.
One thing we know for sure, is that if you’re going to try getting your head around your own mental health, and are keen to take steps to improving it (and who isn’t?) one of the best things you can do is take action as early in your day as possible.
Either from the moment you wake up, or even before.
As you wake up, your brain is operating in ‘alpha’ waves; between 8 to 12 wave cycles per second – that’s when the subconscious mind is at its most impressionable. What you see, hear or do in the first 20 minutes of the day can have a huge affect on the rest of your day. That’s what Rise & Shine taps in to; the app guides your alpha thought process by planting positive seeds for your subconscious to focus on. If you are in agreement with these suggestions, the thoughts develop into your positive intentions.
Choosing to steer your brain onto a positive path from the beginning of your day (before the old habits or ‘daily grind’ patterns start whirring,) can not only effect the rest of your day, but the action of taking control and investing in your own mental health itself can be transformative.
Besides the app, there’s even more that you can do to take advantage of this early morning magic. Don’t hit the snooze button, don’t waste a moment, why not try some of these;
- count backwards from 5
- we love this incredible life ‘rule’ by Mel Robbins that has helped millions of people. Try it first thing in the morning, to get you out of bed.
- listen to motivational speeches
- this 10 minute video by the YouTube channel ‘daily MOTIVATION’ is another great way to start your day
- and this longer 30 minute one by ‘Motivation ‘Addicts’ can easily be done while you get up and get ready for your day. Try it instead of the radio or TV.
- make your bed (and stretch while you do it)
- a simple, routine self-care task that creates a ‘tidy’ start to your day, and will get your body warmed up.
- use affirmations
- saying ‘I AM’ followed by a positive statement. (see image) Encourages you to find and affirm the good in yourself. Try to memorise 3 statements that you repeat 3 times every morning, then when you have them memorised, try adding one new statement per week, for a year!
- try ‘morning pages‘
- a tried and tested daily journalling practice to help you direct your thoughts.
The decision to take positive action for yourself is always at your fingertips. We all experience challenges and we all want to find ways to overcome them. Creating a positive wake up routine is one of the ways you can easily influence your mental health and wellbeing for the better.
How did you get on? Why not chat to us on facebook, or follow us on instagram for motivational images and beautiful memes.
