Wake up before 6 am.
Set your alarm clock to go off between at 5:00 and 5:45. Place your alarm on the other side of the room. You will be forced to jump out of bed and scramble to turn it off.
The energy is higher before 6:00 am, making it easier to arise. Don’t believe me? Give it a try for sixteen days.
You will reset your internal clock by waking up early at the same time each morning. Don't fight the feelings of sleepiness at night. Try to go to bed at the same time each night and get 7-8 hours of sleep- no less, and also, no more. Too much sleep or too little is harmful to those suffering from depression.
Drink half a liter of water.
Go immediately into the kitchen and drink your water. The night dehydrates you and can create a feeling of fatigue even after a great night's sleep. Hydrating first thing after waking will energize your body and clear your mind.
Make a cup of coffee or tea and carry it outside with you for five minutes.
Yes, even if it is snowing. I hope the twilight is brightening as the sun starts its ascent into the heavens. Birds are singing. You breathe in fresh air and the scent of grass covered in dew. Or the world may be covered in ice and snow, your breath coming out in puffs, the cup in your hands steaming.
Either way, the fresh air will stimulate your senses and wake you up.
Watch your thoughts for five minutes.
Locate the awareness behind your thoughts. Watch your thoughts. Observe the way your mind wanders. Are you having trouble detaching from your thoughts?
Ask yourself, ‘Am I breathing?’
If only for a second, your attention will turn from your thoughts to the present moment, to the breath. The thoughts circling through your head will release their hold on your focus. Instead of ruminating forwards or backward in time, your attention will be pulled to the present moment. It might be just a few seconds. Don’t despair.
Next, ask yourself, ‘What do I hear?’
Your attention will turn to the hum of traffic, the chirping of the birds in your garden, and perhaps the whir of a bike going by. Once again you will ground yourself in the present moment by turning your attention to the sounds around you.
Last ask yourself, ‘How does my body feel?’
Since the feel and caress of the clothes against your skin. Scan your entire body, from your toes to the crown of your head. Where is the tightness, where is their lightness?
When you succeed in getting up early celebrate your victory. Depression can make taking the first step out of bed like jumping into a sub-zero lake in the middle of winter.
Read a book for five to ten minutes.
No, do not scan the latest news, or take up a magazine for a few minutes. Select a book you find interesting, either fiction or non-fiction. Read it for ten minutes. Mark your place with a bookmark to take up where you left off tomorrow.
Take 2 minutes to project mentally.
Take 2 minutes to mentally project how you want to show up in the world today. It doesn’t matter if you will be spending the day alone or in a crowd. Imagine someone will be filming you all day long from overhead.
What sort of person do you want to be? What emotion do you want to leave each person who crosses your path today? There is no right answer. Keep in mind though, that projecting a personality not authentic to you is counterproductive.
Do 10 minutes of something you have been procrastinating.
The ten minutes are critical. Do no less, and no MORE than ten minutes. Starting something you have been avoiding can feel like standing on one side of a lake and someone telling you to swim across. Exhausting. Impossible. It isn’t warm enough. You will probably drown.
Just do ten minutes. Not in a week, not in a month, not at New Year's. Right now. You shouldn't wait until tomorrow morning when you arise early. Do it now. Yes, right now.
You’re waiting for tomorrow morning, aren’t you?
So what are you procrastinating? Is it a pile of laundry? The first outline of the novel you want to write? Starting exercising? Beginning a whole foods diet? Building a better relationship with your partner/child/ parent? Learning a new skill? Spring cleaning your home?
One person’s hill is another’s Mount Everest. Stop judging yourself. Don’t stop to plan, not yet. Just start. Do ten minutes.
If you do ten minutes, every day, then by the end of the week you will complete seventy minutes. In four weeks you will have worked half a day on your goal.
Just ten minutes a day will net you over sixty hours of work by the end of the year. It will be as if you took an entire week of work and devoted six ten-hour days to working on your project.
Go for a ten-minute walk outside, or do my ten-minute yoga flow near a window.
You need a boost in the feel-good chemicals in your brain. The best way is to get your blood moving and get exposure to natural light. Is it still dark outside? Make sure you spend ten minutes sometime today with your face in the sun or take a Vitamin D supplement.
If you hate exercise, then throw on some tennis shoes and head outside for a ten-minute walk. Heck, you can even go in your slippers if you want. Go barefoot. Just go.
Or, if you prefer, you can do a ten-minute yoga flow. I have created a flow just for you, with poses to stretch, strengthen, boost your heart rate, and boost your spirits.
Just like with the project you have been procrastinating, don't aim for more than ten minutes. At least in the beginning, I advise you to do no more than ten minutes. Why?
It will start to seem like too much. You will wake up tomorrow morning, open your eyes, and it will be easier to get up if everything ahead is just a little, easy step or a few minutes here, a few minutes there.
Ten minutes of exercise, every day is better than one long hour session.
Just ten minutes a day and you will feel more energized and uplifted all day long. Don’t believe me that ten minutes is enough? Try it for yourself. Test this morning routine for sixteen days and then see how you feel.
What brings you joy? Write a list.
Write down a list of what brings you joy. If nothing brings you joy, then think up what used to bring you joy in the past.
Surprising someone with a present?
Inviting people over for a meal or cup of coffee?
Watching a sports game?
Teaching or coaching?
Is it a latte at the café down the road?
The smell of freshly baked bread?
The taste of a buttery croissant?
A walk through the woods?
Laughing with friends?
Hiking in the mountains?
Cuddling with your pet or your kids?
Hugging a horse?
Playing cards or a board game?
The endorphin rush after a run or a session of yoga?
Arranging a vase of fresh-cut flowers?
Cooking a new recipe?
Reading an engrossing book?
A bowl of strawberries?
Watching the sunset?
Laying in the sun?
Planting in the garden?
Painting in the fresh air?
Writing in a café rich with the aroma of croissants and coffee?
Is it something else?
Hooray! You’ve done your magic morning! Reward yourself!
It’s time to celebrate. You’ve finished your magic morning routine! Select something from your joy list and reward yourself.
You should be so proud of yourself for getting up early. Those suffering from depression can find it torture to get out of bed, start new projects, get exercise, or even leave the house. So praise yourself for accomplishing each step, or even just one step, in the magic morning uplift.
If you wake up early but don't manage the rest, celebrate. Do you get through half the steps, and then run out of steam? Praise yourself for all the steps you did do.
With time you will flow through each step effortlessly.
You will start to feel better after just the first magic morning uplift.
! Please know that the magic morning in no way replaces the help of a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. If you are experiencing depression, please PLEASE seek out help. You can even arrange Skype sessions via your computer or phone, and need not even leave your home to get counseling. !
Over time as you continue to follow the magic morning uplift routine EVERY morning, the depression will loosen its hold on you. You will develop self-efficacy. You will see yourself as someone who can make a goal and follow through on it daily.
You will be that sort of person. The kind of person who gets up early to exercise your mind and body, nurture your spirit, make progress on a project, and follow through on this routine daily.
I urge you to start first thing tomorrow.
I wish you health, serenity, and moments of joy,
Heather Nadine
Magic Morning Uplift Summary
Wake up before 6 am.
Drink half a liter of water.
Make a cup of coffee or tea and carry it outside with you for five minutes.
Watch your thoughts for five minutes.
Read a book for five to ten minutes.
Take 2 minutes to project mentally.
Do 10 minutes of something you have been procrastinating.
Go for a ten-minute walk outside, or do my ten-minute yoga flow near a window.
What brings you joy? Write a list.
Hooray! You’ve done your magic morning! Reward yourself!
Uplift Bonus to Stop Feeling Depressed: Join a club, sign up to attend a weekly course, or sign-up to volunteer weekly.
Those suffering from depression tend to pull away from the world and away from people. So your next step to stop feeling depressed is to join a club or sign up to attend a course. This most likely will take a massive inward push to accomplish. Ask a friend or a family member for help in pushing you to take the step.
Spending time every week, or at the minimum once a month, at a club will help counteract the impulse of retreating from the world. With time, and continuing to start each day with the magic morning uplift, you will begin to enjoy and even look forward to attending the club or course. For now, see it as a necessary dose of medicine.