Be Present
Mindful Morning Routine
Step 1
When the alarm sounds, open your eyes, avoid the snooze button, and get out of bed!
Step 2
Start your morning with a tall glass of water to re-hydrate you after a restful sleep. You may also want to use this time to make a quick plan for your day.
Step 3
You may want to try a light exercise routine, morning stretches, or a short meditation to help you feel more awake and ready for the day.
Step 4
Don’t forget your morning pamper routine to help you feel fresh and clean for the day ahead. Remember to brush your teeth for a full two minutes and you may want to follow this by saying positive affirmations to yourself.
Step 5
Enjoy a classic hot beverage of your choice, whether that be coffee, tea, herbal tea, or hot lemon and honey water.
Step 6
Make a healthy breakfast that will see you through till lunch. Porridge oats, fruit and greek yoghurt, or an omelette with vegetables are great choices!
Step 7
Give yourself time to enjoy a short activity, such as reading, watching a short episode of your favourite show, listening to a podcast or your favourite music, or catching up with the news.
Step 8
Ensure you leave enough time to make it to class, work, or any arrangements you have made. Packing your bag during your evening routine will help you to remain punctual and organised.
Mindful Exercise
For this exercise, you need to use all of your senses and write down what is around you. Open the link to see the worksheet!
Mindful Tidying
The Kon Mari Method
Mindful tidying is the act of organising your belongings and personal space for the benefit of your wellbeing.
Combining mindfulness (being present in the moment) with the act of tidying, can strengthen your ability to let go of things that no longer serve a useful purpose in your life.
Sometimes, letting go of our belongings can help us feel lighter, as our environment becomes clutter free and organised.
Marie Kondo is the genius behind the Kon Mari method of mindful tidying. You may know her from her Netflix special Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo or her award-winning book The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying.
Her ethos is based on the joy we gain from our belongings. If something no longer sparks joy, we should let it go, and so begins your journey to a tidy environment!
Intrigued? This video will help break it down for you...
Kon Mari your space...
Tidy space, tidy mind!
To begin, imagine your ideal lifestyle and environment...
Take a deep breath in, close your eyes, and visualise your space. What does it look like? Where are your things positioned? How does the space serve you? Think about why you have decided to try mindful tidying and use that as inspiration for the task ahead.
Categories, not space...
The Kon Mari method asks you to begin arranging your belongings into categories, rather than by space. If you are tidying multiple spaces, it makes it more difficult to see what you have if you go through each room, one by one. So gather your belongings into a central space.
Now it's time to let go!
Hold your items and decide whether they ‘spark joy’. Items that spark joy go in the keep pile, and items that do not should be recycled, donated, or thrown away.
Be mindful...
As you let go of items, be mindful of the joy they once brought you. Show your gratitude by acknowledging this and this will ease the process of letting go.
Ensure everything has it's space!
Everything you have decided to keep should be have its own space. This means storing your items carefully and returning them after they have been used. You may
want to use storage boxes or learn a new folding method to help with this process.