12 Ideas for Establishing a Calming Routine

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

1. Morning coffee. If you’re not a coffee person, tea
   or cocoa work great as well. Sit and enjoy the silence as you wake up,
   and even better, watch the sun rise. It’s the perfect way to greet the
   day.
2. Exercise. I like to go on an easy run. It relieves
   stress, and gives me time to myself to think, and enjoy nature. Evening
   runs are great too, especially as the sun goes down. If you’re not into
   running, walking, cycling, swimming, or really any exercise works well.
   Just take it easy in the beginning, and try to do a little every day.
   Don’t overdo it.
3. Meditation or yoga. I haven’t been meditating on a
   regular basis, but when I do, it’s so calming, and so centering. You
   don’t need to do anything formal — simply focusing on your breathing,
   as it goes in and out, is a good meditation. While I’ve never been into
   yoga, I know a lot of people who swear by it, and I would recommend you
   give it a try if it sounds appealing to you.
4. Gratitude session. This is one of my favorite
   rituals: every day, take a couple of minutes to think about everything
   and everybody you are grateful for in your life. This may sound corny,
   but it is an amazing ritual. Try it right now — it only takes a minute.
   Who are you grateful for? What are you grateful for? I’ve found that
   this little ritual has so much power that it makes me happier and more
   compassionate. Btw, every time I do it, I thank the people who donated
   and helped me become a giant step closer to my dream (that’s you guys!).
5. Goal mantra. This is another one of my absolute favorites. I got the idea from Guy Kawasaki,
   who tells us that corporate mission statements are basically useless,
   and recommends you create a corporate mantra instead of three or four
   words (tops). So instead of creating a corporate mantra, I created a
   personal mantra to remind myself of why I do everything I’ve been doing
   this year (with the blog, all my writing, and some new projects that
   are coming up, including an e-book). Here it is: Liberate Yourself.
   And I just make sure to repeat this mantra at least once a day (if not
   several times). It helps me stay focused. I suggest you do the same for
   your personal mission.
6. Evening review. I think this would be an
   especially fruitful routine for anyone. Basically, it’s a routine that
   Ben Franklin did himself: he would spend some time at the end of each
   day to review how he did with his goal, and reflect on how his day
   went. It only needs to take a few minutes, but just go over your day,
   think about your goal (your mantra), what you did to further that goal,
   what you did right and what you did wrong today, what you can improve,
   what you need to do in the future. If you want to journal this, it
   would be even better!
7. Bath time. My home doesn’t have a bath tub, but I
   truly cherish a long hot bath. If you have the time to do this, it can
   be extremely relaxing.
8. After work unwinding. Long day at work? Stressed
   out? Take 30 minutes to unwind. Some great ideas for that: a 20-30
   minute nap, snuggling with your kids, deep breathing, stretching,
   self-massage, or really anything that relaxes you.
9. Pre-bed ritual. Another ideal time for a calming
   routine is just before you go to bed. You can do any of the calming
   things mentioned in the other items, or just develop a routine: get
   clothes ready, get lunches ready, clean up, brush teeth, decide on your
   three Most Important Tasks (MITs) for tomorrow, etc.
10. Journaling or writing. A morning writing ritual is
    a good thing, but you can do a writing ritual at any time that works
    for you. Or instead of writing, try journaling. It can be very
    productive and relaxing.
11. Conversation. Try this: every night for an hour,
    just sit and talk to your spouse. Share the highlights and lowlights of
    your day, talk about your goals, your finances, your relationship,
    movies, music, books. This can, of course, be adapted for conversation
    with your children.
12. Reading time. Ah, one of my favorites. Take time
    each day to spend with a good book. Or a trashy novel. It doesn’t
    matter. I actually like to take time in the morning and evening, but
    whatever time is convenient for you will work.

source: zenhabits.net

Powered by ScribeFire.