One of my favorite health habits is taking 7 minutes of time to listen to "The Daily Jay" on the Calm App hosted by Jay Shetty, Calm's Chief Purpose Officer. As I was preparing for this "It's About Time" edition of the For Your Good Health Newsletter I heard Jay talking about his version of T.I.M.E. and could not have been more excited to share it here - because I walk this talk and completely agree with this strategy.
This is about how you start your morning. What time do you take for your self-care each morning? You don't need a lot of time, even 15 min can make a difference to your entire day. Don't believe? Try it out!
T: Thankfulness
I: Insight
M: Mindfulness
E: Exercise
T. Thankfulness - gratitude increases your brain to produce "feel-good" hormones to boost your mood. Look for your way to recognize gratitude. Here are some ideas that take just a few minutes:
Before you get out of bed, think about 3 moments that happened yesterday that you are grateful for or made a difference in your life
Keep a Gratitude Journal and write down whatever comes to mind in that moment for what brings you joy, peace and love
Use a Gratitude App
I. Insight - tap into a growth-mindset. Find just one something new to learn.
M. Mindfulness - tune your brain up (like an instrument) with a boost of awareness and intention.
The above two items can literally be done at the same time listening to a mindfulness session on any App! I use Calm but there are many free and subscription Apps to choose from, or free on YouTube.
E. Exercise - any movement, stretching or walking activates body chemistry to help keep your energy up and stress levels down.
And, you can even incorporate movement while listening to a mindfulness session. That's what I do. Each morning I either take a short walk and/or do some stretching either outside or in front of a window while listening to a Mindfulness session. You don't have to be sitting still to "mediate".
So, how much time is your health worth? You probably invest your time in many places - other people, work, cleaning, making checklists to check them off and on and on. Where can you carve out a few minutes for you and your overall health? Mornings are found to be a great time of the day for this practice, but if you are more of a "night owl", heading to bed after these rituals can also set you up for a well night's sleep! Hey or even consider both for a double-dose of a self-time investment.
If you didn't read this article on finding time (Time Insight), check it out now!