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Good reasons to become a morning person

By on January 4, 2015 in Mindfulness


There are many reasons to start the day early, but if you’re not a morning person then becoming an early riser will be one of the hardest, but most rewarding, routines you will put into place, and here are at least five good reasons why you should:

  • Early risers are more proactive and future-focused. According to Harvard biologist Christoph Randler people who rise early are more likely to set long-term goals and commit to those goals.
  • Early risers are more likely to have an exercise routine which boosts mood and energy for the rest of the day
  • Sleep experts agree that going to bed earlier, and rising earlier will tune your body to the earth’s circadian rhythms, meaning sleep will be more restorative
  • Early risers report lower depression and higher levels of overall happiness and wellbeing
  • Rising early means you will have time for breakfast. Eating breakfast has been linked to more stable weight control, lowered heart disease and lower risk of diabetes.

And if that’s not enough, here are 5 more things to consider:

  • The morning brings a beauty that is different from any other part of the day – there is a reason that birds sing in the morning
  • Rising early means you will be more tired earlier at night which will encourage you to go to bed instead of watching mind-deadening television programs just to ‘fill in time’ before you go to bed
  • Getting up early will give you space from other people in your world – you can decide how you spend this time just for you, without the demands of others
  • Taking this early time to sit in silent meditation gives your day a whole new perspective. Instead of getting out of bed anxious about the demands of the day ahead, you can start your day with a clearer, quieter perspective – something you can draw on throughout the rest of the day
  • If you get up just 1hr earlier every day you will gain 15days in a year! What could you do with 15 more days? – everything you love to do, that’s what!!!!!

Start small, set that alarm for 15mins earlier and then gradually build up to 1hr. When you hear that little voice say “I don’t want to get out of bed” know that that is just a habit. Ask yourself is it easy to do – put you feet on the floor? – yes it is. Is it easy not to do – pull up the covers and roll over? too right it is. But when you choose the ‘easy to do’ over the ‘easy not to do’ you win the debate and you can do it because it is easy. It will continue to become easier and easier, and you will have become a ‘winner’ in the battle of the mindsets. Once you win that battle, other battles throughout the day will be a piece of cake.

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A “new” year or a new moment?

By on January 2, 2015 in Mindfulness

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According to the calendar it is the beginning of a new year.

Goal setting is very much a part of our new year rituals, and it is a strong component of the teachings in positive psychology. Goal setting helps us achieve things, feel a sense of accomplishment, sometimes even a sense of purpose. But how can you really know what you might need or what things will be like in March, July or September when it is only the beginning of January?

This new year I am setting a goal, just one. A goal that will help me stay focused each day to achieve what I want to achieve and respond to situations that arise with clarity and choice.
However I need to be present in each moment of each day to fulfill this goal.

My goal has five elements, and I believe that if I live through these five elements daily, moment by moment, I will bring the best version of me to 2015.

This one goal is to live out the Five Ways to Wellbeing and this is how it looks in practice:

1) Take Notice – in 2015 I will bring my full attention to this very moment as much as I can. I will be conscious of when my mind is wandering and bring it back to the present, because the present is the only time my mind is useful, calm and wise. I will practice taking notice through mindfulness and meditation. Allowing silence to sit easily in my world. Mindfully completing daily chores like cleaning and washing. Mindfully participating in my daily routines of brushing my teeth, showering, dressing, and daily sitting meditation either at home, on the train, at the beach or in waiting rooms.

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2) Be Active – in 2015 I will look for ways each day to move my body. I will walk places rather than drive. Catch public transport, walk up stairs, stand for meetings, play with children and dance whenever I can!

3) Connect – in 2015 I will ask others how they are and genuinely listen to their answer. I will chat with the person who works in my local cafe. I will smile more at people I meet or pass in the street. I will make eye contact so people will know they are welcome in my life.

4) Give – in 2015 I will look for ways to donate my time not just make a donation to charity. I will give way in traffic to let someone else get home to their loved ones as well. I will offer to help others by holding doors open or moving aside for others to sit.

5) Learn – in 2015 I will take opportunities to find out about people I know and those I don’t . I will continue to learn more recipes to cook, to travel new ways around my neighborhood. I will listen to new music. I will investigate my beautiful city and visit exhibitions that will teach me about others and our wonderful planet.

By Taking Notice, Being Active, Connecting, Giving and Learning, these five ways will enrich my daily life so that I don’t have to wait for the weekend to be happy or wait for another holiday time to feel rested.

Starting with Taking Notice will prevent the time-warp created by clocks, diaries and calendars. These are all measures of this thing we call ‘time’ and time is often our enemy.

Measuring time can make us think we don’t have enough of it to get things done, or get to somewhere ‘on time’. It makes us rush, stress and panic about what we didn’t do or what we ‘have’ to do. We start to feel that time is running our lives and often that our life is running out!

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Taking notice slows life down, and brings you into this space, so that you can choose how to respond rather than being driven by the sense of urgency that time can bring.

I have chosen to let go of the urge to make resolutions for how life could look in three, six or nine months time, and have chosen to live the ‘five ways’ daily, so that no matter what life throws at me, I will be the best version of myself to respond. I know that living through the ‘five ways’ I will be healthier, feel more vibrant and connected. I will notice more and appreciate what I have more.

The psychological nature of a ‘new year’ does indeed have its advantages. We can say goodbye to the ‘bad’ things or events that we have connected to last year and imagine and hope that this new year will bring us new fortune, changed luck, good times. Can a mere date on the calendar actually do all that, or do we need to do things differently? After all, we do have more responsibility for our own happiness than we often realise.

Remember, every moment is a new moment, every day is a new day, and every moment offers a chance for new fortune, whether the date says it is January 1st or September 21st, whether it is 2014 or 2015, it is still a new moment. We just need to be present to notice it.

So this ‘new year’ turn to the only moment you have – this one!

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Observe, Connect, Appreciate, Give Thanks

By on November 16, 2014 in Mindfulness

According to my character strengths survey (https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter) Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence is my top character strength. I complete this survey about every 6-8 months and while other strengths may move around a little, my top strength is always beauty and excellence.
I really like this strength and I love knowing it about myself.

I am often reminded of this strength when I am brought close to tears when I witness simple everyday events such as an older couple holding hands, watching a dad having coffee with his teenage daughter in a cafe, or even turning a corner when I visit Sydney and spying the harbour bridge and being reminded by this symbol of the country I feel truly blessed to call my home.

Recently my appreciation of beauty was activated during a session with a client. We were sharing an eating meditation.
Yes it was a raisin, and yes it did take 10 minutes to eat one raisin. During this time I called attention to the little knob at the end of the raisin which we might refer to in ourselves as our belly button. The knob that connected this raisin to a larger, greater being that gave life to the raisin, and nourished and nurtured its early growth. I also drew attention to the journey of the raisin, growing in the soil, needing the elements of our wonderous planet to help it grow. The people who had contributed to helping us, here and now, connect with that one raisin. The vine grower, the fruit picker, the packer, the truck driver and on it goes, to bring that raisin to the store, where I was able to freely walk in and buy it. The countless people who we are connected to us every time we eat something. And as we considered these people and this incredible journey we also drew attention to honouring our ability to eat the plentiful food we have at our disposal. If we honour this, we don’t need to grab raisins (or chocolate) by the handful, but we can take our time to savour the whole, complete event of eating.

This is when I noticed my client truly connect with this moment, with her own struggle with food, with the beauty she had within herself, and a tear rolled down her face. She too had connected with the beauty of our living in this lucky country where a raisin is a snack not breakfast as it could be in a third world country.

Eating mindfully doesn’t mean you need to take 10 minutes to eat one raisin, but if you do that just once, you will become aware of all the processes your body and mind make so that you can eat. Mindful eating is more than just about the pace in which we eat, it is observing our food, the colour, the textures, the smell. It is bringing a new awareness to the fact that we are actually eating, instead of eating mindlessly in front of the television, in the car, or walking down the street. Mindful eating allows for space in this face-paced world. It gives us permission to pause, observe, connect, appreciate and give thanks that we are able to eat and the connection between ourselves, the food and the earth from which it came.

So when do you recognise beauty in your world?
How do you connect with the people who make your eating possible?
How much appreciation of your lifestyle do you show by moderating what you eat?

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Happiness and how do you get it?

By on November 9, 2014 in Mindful Musings, Mindfulness

I am constantly amazed at how much we all seek happiness and yet we actually know very little about what defines happiness. This is probably because happiness differs for each one of us. For me, I have decided that because I live close to the beach I need to make the effort to notice its beauty every day. That may mean I drive home a different way so that I can mindfully watch the waves roll in before I hit the house for the evening, or it may mean noticing the fresh smell of salt in the air when the wind is just right. I love it and it does definitely increase my levels of happiness. So what makes you happy?

One thing scientific research has shown us is that the old adage “money can’t buy happiness” is actually true. Our lifestyles are such that we are much wealthier than our parents and grandparents and yet our levels of happiness have declined by about 30% in the past 50 years. Only in the poorest countries like Bangladesh and India, does a good income align with the measure of emotional wellbeing.

So what do happier people do to be happier? Firstly, they like themselves. Yep that’s right they feel good about themselves. Happier people are those people who live a life according to their ethical beliefs and values, who are less judgmental of others, and work towards a harmonious life with others. Happier people take physical care of themselves. They feel like they have personal control in their lives, which means they see themselves as deciding how they can live each day, a sense of ownership of their moods and attitudes. Happier people see a future of possibilities for themselves, for others and for the planet and they actively work towards those possibilities. They hold connections to others as a priority. While there is a link between extroversion and happiness, you don’t have to be the life of the party to be happy, but not being afraid to seek personal connections to others is a sign of self-confidence and also optimism.

Imagine if you were asked a series of questions about your life that would indicate your level of happiness. Researchers David Meyers and Ed Diener have been pondering how to measure happiness for many years. They ask people how they feel about their lives. How would you rate the following statements?

In most ways my life is close to my ideal

The conditions of my life are excellent

I am satisfied with my life

So far I have gotten the important things I want in life

If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing

Would you strongly disagree, disagree, would you be up the other end, agree, strongly agree, or would you be neither agree nor disagree?

Whatever the answer, you need to be actively involved in creating or continuing to enhance your own happiness. Look at what you currently do to create your own happiness rather than wait for the day to deliver what it has to offer. At the start of your day pick the attitude you might want to explore that day – you can choose to be curious today, or caring, or perhaps grateful.  As your day is coming to a close see what you can do to end it the way you want it to end, perhaps some exercise like a walk or yoga, or a meditation practice or listening to some music you connect to. Even in times of stress and distress we can still do things that help us connect with our true selves. While we may only be just finding out what makes us happy, what we do know, is that getting up, mindlessly going through your day, coming home, mindlessly watching a screen and then going to bed, probably won’t shift your scores along the continuum towards creating a happier life for yourself.

It’s your life, you may as well contribute to living it the way that will be the closest to your values and your strengths and then happiness will be closer than ever before.

 

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