In the Morning

In an effort to gain a more positive mindset, I have been altering my morning routine to put myself in a calm state of mind. So far, here are some little things that I have found to be effective.

• Dream Journal. This can take between 5-15 minutes depending on how much I remember. Once I finish, I try to figure out what could have caused a particular dream. If I have the time, I try to use a dream dictionary to find the meaning of specific objects that stood out. Its quite interesting to discover an item that signifies some kind of event, but I have rarely seen these predictions come true.
• Refilling my water stone humidifiers. I recently acquired these to bring a little humidity into the air. I live in a dry environment and that makes me feel like a sun-dried tomato. I did not want an electronic humidifier because they can be large, noisy, or the power cords clutter my desk. It only takes a minute to fill give fill these stones will distilled water, but its a minute of complete silence. Every other week, a sticky pink film accumulates on them and I spend an additional two quiet minutes lightly scrubbing them clean.
• Listen to music. While making breakfast and lunch, I usually go to YouTube, select a song, and then let auto-play do its work. I find the music is a good way to help me forgot that my cooking talent allows me to create deliciously simple meals.
• Light exercise. I am using this term loosely because one push-up, sit-up, and pull-up is all I can accomplish in my current physical state. I spend about 5 minutes stretching to get out all the joint pops. After finishing this "routine," I usually feel more awake and ready to start the day.
• A warm drink. It could be anything - tea, cappuccino, even plain water. I usually make this about two hours after I wake up. By that time, I have finished my immediate tasks and am ready to sit down to actually work. Holding a warm drink is soothing since my fingers are the first extremities that get cold.

Since I am listing out what works, here is a list of activities that create a negative morning for me.

• Regular news channels. Lately there is so much about politicians, terrorism, people getting arrested, etc. About one out of ten articles are about good deeds. I wish there could be more coverage on things that people do to help others. I multiple article comments that say people are acting out because there is a greater chance of getting media attention. If reports could focus on more uplifting stories, then maybe society would be more motivated to help rather than hurt.
• Watch videos. Its a bit counter-intuitive since watching shows, music videos, etc. is very entertaining and a fun way to wake up. The negative aspect comes from the fact that I have limited time in the morning. At most, I can watch 20 minutes worth of videos before I need to get out the door. This can put me in a foul mood if I am in the middle of something particularly interesting.
• Hitting the "snooze" button. As much as I enjoy my comfortable bed and more sleep, using the "snooze" button means I have less time to get ready. To get out the door on time, I need to rush and often skip non-essential tasks. In other words: extra sleep = hectic morning.

To you who stumbled upon this post, what do you do in the morning to start the day on the right foot?