Do you feel that the day is too short for you? Guess what we all have been there wishing if we could add a few more hours to the day.
But unfortunately, neither of us possess a magic wand to make that happen. And so, the earth will revolve the same way, and you won’t get any extra minute to the day for at least a gazillion years.
But what you can certainly do is wake up early. In fact, if you are a mother, this will come as a blessing for you.
Wondering how? Stay tuned, and keep reading.
How waking up early can make you a better mom
You’ll find time for yourself
Motherhood can have you trapped in a fixed schedule. In simple words, it leaves you no time to take a moment for yourself and relax.
But when you wake up early, you can find some leisure time for yourself as:
Your family would be asleep
There wouldn’t be many chores for you to do early morning
It is the best time to meditate and exercise
Motherhood and fitness don’t go hand in hand for many mothers. But this is when you need it the most as your body changes a lot after pregnancy. Apart from that, you might still be a young mother, so there’s a whole lot of life ahead of you where you have to value your health in order to thrive.
Therefore, do not think twice. Engage in a workout, and if your body is too stiff for that, do yoga or meditation at least. Both cardiovascular exercise and meditation release happy hormones, ultimately providing you the peace that motherhood often snatches away from you.
You’ll get to call it a day much sooner
It is a no-brainer that you’ll get done with your tasks sooner when you wake up early. Consequently, you’ll have more time for yourself.
That’s not just it, you’d also observe an improved quality of work because your mind would be well-rested and fresh in the morning.
You will be more energized
Being a mother, there’s a lot of running around the house and in the kitchen. You require energy for that. Turns out, waking up early can help you in this regard as well.
Well, it has something to do with your bedtime. It is likely that when you know you have to wake up early, you sleep early. Hence, when you are well-rested, you are more energized than ever.
You’ll be more productive
You are more active when you wake up early. Consequently, you do not feel lethargic, and you’ll do your tasks with greater enthusiasm and a better focus. Ultimately, it will bear a positive impact on your productivity.
You’ll have a better mental health
There’s something about early mornings that sets you in a good spirit. In other words, you feel a much pleasant vibe around. Well, perhaps because the air is pleasant and there is a charming silence around. And we know being a mother, it is almost impossible to find such a moment throughout the day.
But that’s how early mornings improve your mental health – they make you feel peaceful from the inside. You feel lighter and happier.
Allows you a peaceful breakfast
Breakfasts are something that a person enjoys the most. But given a hectic schedule and rushed mornings motherhood offers to you, you probably leave for work with a sandwich in hand or have it at home while stressing about a thousand things you have to do just a few minutes later.
However, waking up early can allow you to have your breakfast in peace. You can have it sitting on your balcony, amidst the greenery, or even inside breathing peace and solace.
Last but not least
Waking up early might seem a lot at first, but once you develop it as a habit, it will all be easy-breezy for you. Remember, waking up early has done everyone well, and you are no different than the crowd in this respect.
Do you think you have some inputs to give? Feel free to share them in the comment section.
Both mindfulness and minimalism can make your life simpler. There’s a good chance that you’ve stumbled upon these terms before, however have no idea what they really represent and how they’re related.
So today, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about these two philosophies and how they’re interconnected with each other.
Minimalism and mindfulness – 4 ways they make an excellent pair
Let’s first start with MINDFULNESS
In simple terms being Mindful means, becoming fully aware of your surroundings and your actions. Practicing mindfulness allows you to take a break from thinking about the future and calmly focus on the present moments, while deeply indulging all your senses in the act that you’re performing right now.
Now, what’s MINIMALISM?
It’s a way of life where you intentionally choose to embrace only those things, emotions, philosophies, relations, possessions, and everything else that genuinely adds value to your life while getting rid of everything that doesn’t.
So how Minimalism and Mindfulness are connected?
They’re related to each other in so many ways. Minimalism and Mindfulness have a circular kind of relationship where both of them facilitate each other.
By being mindful we become more aware of what takes up our time and space. And by adopting minimalism we create time and space to become more mindful.
Sounds a bit complicated, isn’t it?
Let’s simplify it, shall we?
Four ways Minimalism and Mindfulness makes a perfect pair
Letting go
Minimalism requires us to declutter our space and keep only those things that we utilize regularly or love. This process teaches us the art of letting go of our attachments.
Minimalism essentially guides us to consciously think about what we own and why do we own it. This is where mindfulness comes in. We actually become mindful while assessing our belongings. And allowing only those that add value to our life.
Minimalism teaches us to become more mindful and intentional of our surroundings. And the stuff that we keep in our home.
Being present in the current moment
Staying completely present and focusing on cherishing the present moment is an important part of mindfulness, and in a way, minimalism teaches us the same thing.
When we determine to keep only those things that we use or love currently in our life, we consciously choose to live in the present moment.
Mindfulness allows us to return our focus to the present moment rather than obsessing about the past or worrying about the future. By adopting Minimalism, and allowing only those things in your life that you love right now, it becomes easier to remain in the present moment.
More intentional with our time and space
The less stuff we own the more intentional we become of how we utilize our time and space. We’re no longer required to spend a majority of our time managing the things that we own, instead, we allow ourselves to focus on our life beyond material possessions.
Once we embrace minimalism in our homes it inspires us to do the same in other areas of our life as well. For instance, our schedule, leaving out unnecessary commitments, and rushing from one task to another, we give more time and freedom to ourselves.
So, minimalism encourages us to intentionally make space and opportunities to become more intentional with our time and stay present at the moment. And that’s what Mindfulness is all about.
Cherishing the journey and not worry about the end results
Minimalism and Mindfulness both are about the journey, rather than the end goal. They both are a way of lifestyle that evolves as our life and priorities change.
It might happen that the version of Mindfulness and Minimalism that we practice right now won’t be the same next year. Maybe our focus has changed or we achieved our goals or whatever.
The key here is to stick with these philosophies. The daily intentional choices that we make to live minimally and mindfully become our habit and can bring out huge shifts in our life.
To conclude
Minimalism is a great way to practice mindfulness. It’s a way through which we clear out unnecessary clutter, create more time and space for ourselves, and choose to live in the present moment. On the other hand, mindfulness naturally guides us to embrace a minimalist lifestyle.
What are your thoughts on the same? Are you encouraged to incorporate Minimalism and Mindfulness into your life? Drop your views and answers in the comments below.
We all have times when we feel drained and impacted by the negative energy around us. Learn how to protect your energy, why it’s important, and 9 powerful ways to do it.
Many of us allow ourselves to be influenced by other people’s energy. While that can sometimes be a good thing if you’re around excited or grounded people. However, if you’re around negative people, that negativity is contagious and can drain your energy.
This can happen to everyone, but is especially likely if you’re a sensitive person. It took me a long time to realize that part of my self care habits and routines needed to include protecting my energy. What does that mean and how can you protect your energy?
Everything we do – both physically and mentally – takes some sort of toll on the human body & mind. These actions, decisions, and relationships can leave you feeling devoid of energy to the point where you feel completely drained.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Here are a few examples of things that can deplete your energy:
toxic friendships or relationships
hostile working environments
constantly loaning yourself for advice or as a shoulder to cry on
Your energy is yours and yours alone. In order to live your best life, you need to learn how to protect your energy so that negativity and other people don’t drain your energy.
How To Protect Your Energy
Once you learn how to protect your energy, it’s not that hard to maintain. You will find yourself creating space in your daily or weekly plans to have the space which you didn’t know you needed.
Take Time for Yourself
When you notice that you’re being affected by other people’s energy, step away and take time for yourself. By yourself. Do something you enjoy – whatever it is that replenishes you and restores your positive energy.
Some ideas include taking a relaxing bath, watching your favorite show, gardening, reading a book, enjoying a glass of wine, or enjoying the silence and meditating.
Create a Positive Environment
What you put out into the world comes back to you. If you focus on creating a positive environment around you, positive energy will come your way and you will be less impacted by any negative energy.
Some ways to help create a positive environment include helping others, showing gratitude, and giving encouragement and support to someone who needs a boost.
Act Instead of React
When we react to others, we are like racquet balls, flinging around the space in response to another person’s actions or negative emotions. All that flying around is exhausting and leaves you feeling drained.
Instead, pause before reacting. This will allow you to consciously act and put your best foot forward and stay in control of your own energy rather than letting someone else control it.
Set Boundaries
It’s important to learn how and where to draw a line (or boundary) so that you protect your energy resources. All this means is that you stop agreeing to do things you don’t want to do. If you simply keep giving and giving, soon there will be nothing left to give.
“No” is a one word sentence. Often we feel that we need to explain why we can’t or won’t do something. That’s simply not true because you can say ‘no’ and leave it at that. It’s important to take care of your own needs and be clear with others when something won’t work for you.
Meditation
When you notice that something has drained your energy, find a few minutes to do some meditation. Not sure how to meditate? There are apps and even YouTube videos that provide guided meditation to help you.
People and cultures have used meditation for centuries to help restore peace, balance, and improve emotional well-being. The great thing about meditation is that its benefits don’t just stop when you stop meditating, but rather continue with you through the rest of your day.
Crystals
Crystals are a tool to help you get more grounded and feel connected through earth energy. Different stones help to balance your chakras to help protect your energy, give you strength against negative energy, and even reprogram negative thought patterns.
When you feel yourself getting drained, take a deep breath. It will help lower your heart rate and blood pressure, improve circulation and mental clarity, and replenish a little bit of your energy.
This is a quick and effective way to help protect your energy and can be repeated as many times as necessary throughout the day.
Ground Yourself
It happens to everyone at some point: we get swept along the current of someone else’s negative energy. When you’re paying attention and find yourself not grounded or centered, take some time to ground yourself in nature.
A walk on the beach, a hike in the forest, walk barefoot in the park, watching a sunset or sunrise. These grounding activities connect you with the world around you on a deep level to help you feel stronger, balanced, and centered.
Exercise
We’ve all heard how important exercise is for our physical health. It’s also important for our mental health by reducing negative mood, anxiety and depression while increasing self-esteem and positive energy.
When you find yourself feeling drained, get some exercise to release the endorphins that help you get balanced and feel your best.
The next time you feel as though negativity has drained your energy, try using these 9 tools to help protect your energy and restore your balance.
moment for yourself and relax.
Turns out, waking up early can help you in this regard as well.
mornings motherhood offers to you, you probably leave for work with a sandwich in hand or have it at home while stressing about a thousand things you have to do just a few minutes later.
Mindfulness have a circular kind of relationship where both of them facilitate each other.
moment is an important part of mindfulness, and in a way, minimalism teaches us the same thing.
end goal. They both are a way of lifestyle that evolves as our life and priorities change.
person. It took me a long time to realize that part of my self care habits and routines needed to include protecting my energy. What does that mean and how can you protect your energy?
creating a positive environment around you, positive energy will come your way and you will be less impacted by any negative energy.
you protect your energy resources. All this means is that you stop agreeing to do things you don’t want to do. If you simply keep giving and giving, soon there will be nothing left to give. 
lower your heart rate and blood pressure, improve circulation and mental clarity, and replenish a little bit of your energy.
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