So many of you resonated with last week’s blog post. If you happened to miss the background story about Melanie click here.
One thing I notice with my clients is that they initially think they can pinpoint their problem but as they begin working through it they find that what they first thought isn’t really the issue.
Melanie’s biggest frustration with her job was the feeling of being controlled by her work environment. She knew how to do the job well, get the job done and reach the goals, but the fun of the challenge was gone. She was just doing her day to day tasks, keeping her head above water but not enjoying it in the least. This lifestyle was causing headaches and stomachaches, not to mention stressful tension.
She would cry each morning when the alarm went off dreading having to go to a place that would stifle her creative energy. What Melanie was doing was letting her conditions control how she was feeling and by doing this she was losing her power.
To reclaim your power you must decide how you want to feel first thing in the morning (if not the night before). You make the decision that you are going to feel good all day no matter what and always look to find something to love.
Melanie wasn’t understanding this and I get that. It is not easy especially when your work environment is so toxic. So where do you begin?
I explained to Melanie that fine tuning her morning routine was going to set up a foundation for her but I wanted to set her expectations that it wasn’t going to happen over night. It would take focus and a little gentleness on herself to make these new changes.
As I’ve been talking about in the last few blogs, it takes time to create a new pattern of thinking.
Melanie is an overachiever and often times during our coaching sessions she would say, “Christine, this is too easy I need harder stuff!”
That’s was her old pattern, it’s the simple things that need to change not necessarily something that is bigger or harder.
It started to become very clear how Melanie was her creating her own obstacles and as we got deeper into the process she began catching herself before she went down the same old path.
Melanie started to see the subtle changes. She began her morning meditation and journaling with simple writing about how she wanted to feel that day. She followed that with a personalized audio program (part of her package with me) giving her guidance on how to shift her daily mindset about her work. These helped to improve her inner dialogue keeping her in a strong positive mindset for at least 80% of her day.
Within the first week Melanie noticed her over-controlling boss started to treat her differently. Her assistant was calmer and more productive and she was even laughing at work and actually having friendly conversations with her team members.
Her physical well being was improving as well. Along with her morning routine to change her mental outlook, I also had her change her morning diet. First, we added the simple step of drinking one glass of water before having any coffee. Each morning her warm glass of water with the option of lemon (I know everyone says it’s the best thing but not everyone does well with lemon water) helped her feel relaxed. As time went on, we added Dandelion tea to help her with a gentle detox and get off caffeine. This slow but steady change shifted her morning headaches and stomach issues and she started to prepare breakfast at home instead of eating out.
By mid-morning Melanie noticed her energy was still up and her ideas were flowing. So simple and effective.
Melanie’s lack of sleep and poor diet were the main reasons she was so sick and stressed out each day.
So now it’s your turn.
Let’s look at how your morning routine and how it is impacting your day.
What are you thinking about first thing upon waking up?
Are you waking up to the news or a horrible alarm clock? I’ve been waking up without an alarm clock for almost 3 years now! I only set it when I have a morning I have to be up extremely early.
Can you sit and just appreciate the cozy bed, the new day filled with possibilities, the gift of being alive?
Can you listen to a mediation or your favorite music.
Just 10 minutes of feel good thoughts and gratitude, believing it is going to be a great day will impact your entire day! I promise you that! .
Take it one step further by starting to drinking a glass of water, lemon water or tea (dandelion, tulsa or herbal tea) before you hit the caffeine. This will begin an energy shift that will help you feel more clear, energized and prevent you from eating the sweet stuff.
While this may seem so simple it’s truly powerful and I will share more about Melanie’s wardrobe makeover that led her to an opportunity she never expected.
So, it’s your turn to shift your morning mindset, diet and be sure to comment below and let me know how things are working for you.
xo,
PS- You loving these tips and would like to have your own customer Lifestyle Makeover? Click here and apply today.