Body Scan

First thing in the morning and before your feet touch the ground, do a quick body scan and figure out how you are feeling. You might notice such things like I’m feeling restless, I’m feeling worried or I’m feeling well rested and happy.

If you notice good feelings and a sense of comfort and wellbeing well done! This indicates you are on top of your stressors and stress response. Likely your sleep was a good one. Your day will probably be good and you are likely to manage any ‘dramas’ better because you are beginning the day refreshed and centred.

If you notice any annoyance or distress, this is when the work is required! Yes we know that’s the last thing you will be feeling like doing! BUT if you can get into the habit of doing this you will be able to create days that are easier to negotiate even if you wake up feeling like sh!t and even if the sh!t hits the fan.

So the process is to pay attention to how you are feeling as soon as you wake up. If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, unhappy or anything other than rested then try to reflect on what might be bothering you. Then do something about it so that you aren’t carrying those bothersome ‘things’ into your day. Here are some examples:

• Worry hour: If you have a lot of worries, maybe consider a worry hour [this is the process of postponing your worry to a specific time of the day every day. Keep a book beside your bed and write a list of all your worries [don’t spend too much time on it] and make a commitment to not think about these things during the day. BUT get back to the list and do one or two things you can take care of in that worry hour. By doing this you can get on with your day without being overwhelmed by those things on the list which will give you energy to deal with the list later in the day. Over time, this will also help you manage your concerns and create a sense of having some order in your life rather than having your concerns crowd in on you.
• Get it done: If there is something you have been thinking or dreaming about during the night this ‘thing’ may be playing on your mind. If you can ‘just do it’ first up in the day, then do it. Don’t procrastinate or put it off. You will feel relieved when it is done! BUT don’t push it, let things evolve and do it when you are free of other distractions and have the energy to deal with it. BUT make the commitment to yourself to get it done as soon as possible so you aren’t carrying it through your day.
• Suck it up and have a coffee: Sometimes there is nothing you can do, maybe the full moon disturbed your sleep or a cat or a kid or …….. [fill in the gaps]. On these days when you recognise this in your body scan, give yourself a break, have that extra cup of coffee and take it easy when you can. Make the commitment to yourself that you will have an early night, reboot and wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

All these practices help you manage your day and the events of your day without carrying the added burden of worries, stress, thoughts and feelings that negatively impact your capacity to do what you need to do.