Setting your intention for the day can be a very helpful practice to having a great day.
The mornings I start my day with prayer and a breathing practice, mediation or visualization are often noticeably better than the days I am woken up by my children bursting in, pulling me out of sleep to solve the first problem of the day. And even if that does happen, taking time afterward to focus and restart that positive mindset is very beneficial.
The Bible tells us to "renew our minds", and I think that is something that we really need to be intentional about.
For me, as a stay at home mama, with nearly the same tasks to do every day, it's so easy to slip into habits and attitudes and reactions without even realizing it; this tends to make the days feel more monotonous and frustrating Meditation in the morning, either alone or guided, can be so refreshing and freeing. Sometimes we carry all our previous day's troubles into the next one, and that really doesn't help anyone.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble." [Matthew6:34]
So let go of all the times things didn't go how you wanted them to go yesterday (all the yesterdays); take a deep breath and say or think something like this:
Today is new.
This day is full of joy and peace.
I am happy.
I am well.
I am calm.
I release any frustration.
I respond gracefully to any situation.
I do not hold stress inside; I feel it pass through me and disappear.
I let go of Before.
I am happy, healthy and calm in Jesus.
Imagine yourself going through your specific jobs today with ease and a smile.
Kids yelling at each other? Visualize yourself responding in a gentle, guiding manner.
Feel like your to-do list is longer than your day? Imagine yourself calmly completing each chore with joy and relaxing at the end of the day.
Whatever you have to do, just imagine yourself doing it the best possible way it can be done.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, "whatever is good, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy...meditate on these things."
When we set our minds on failure and anger and disappointment and fear, it is not glorifying to God or helpful for us.
"Set your mind on things above," visualize yourself being filled with a quiet and gentle spirit, and know that God is for you and He promised that when you commit your way to Him, He will bring it to pass.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."[Matt.5:6]
So, when I wake up, I pray; I dedicate myself and the new day to God. I ask for eyes fixed on things on things above and focused on what is right. "Keep my eyes from looking at worthless things." "Let the words of mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." Let me "seek peace, and pursue it", let the "law of kindness be on my lips". Help me to remember Your faithfulness..."This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope."
After prayer, I do breathing.
Depending on how much time I have, I might do just a few deep, relaxing breaths and feel a sense of peacefulness inside to carry through the day.
Or I might turn on a YouTube video for parasympathetic breathing. I usually combine something called alternate nostril breathing, or yoga nidra, with a timed breath technique I learned from heart rate variability practice (HRV). I will post details on that soon...
I really like to do yoga as well, again using YouTube videos (almost always Yoga with Adrienne), and I find it feel so much better after all that breathing and stretching and connecting with my body.
These are just a couple things you can do to renew your mind and have a good day.
Practice gratitude, it truly makes a huge difference.
Find a good devotional book or two; these can really turn your perspective around.
Journaling in the morning to set intention, or in the evening to review the day and purge your mind can be helpful.
Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming to start something new, so break it down a little; commit to choosing one thing a day for a week, like "today I choose joy", or " today I choose kindness", and focus on Bible passages with that theme, ask God to grow that specific virtue in you, and look for it in others and also try to spread it. Be intentional.
God desires for you to succeed in serving him better, so He will help you in your efforts to become a better person. He has placed His Spirit inside of everyone who believes on Him, and He will bless you with strength to do what is right and beautiful and good, and glorifying to Him.
"Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." [Galatians 6:9]
The mornings I start my day with prayer and a breathing practice, mediation or visualization are often noticeably better than the days I am woken up by my children bursting in, pulling me out of sleep to solve the first problem of the day. And even if that does happen, taking time afterward to focus and restart that positive mindset is very beneficial.
The Bible tells us to "renew our minds", and I think that is something that we really need to be intentional about.
For me, as a stay at home mama, with nearly the same tasks to do every day, it's so easy to slip into habits and attitudes and reactions without even realizing it; this tends to make the days feel more monotonous and frustrating Meditation in the morning, either alone or guided, can be so refreshing and freeing. Sometimes we carry all our previous day's troubles into the next one, and that really doesn't help anyone.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble." [Matthew6:34]
So let go of all the times things didn't go how you wanted them to go yesterday (all the yesterdays); take a deep breath and say or think something like this:
Today is new.
This day is full of joy and peace.
I am happy.
I am well.
I am calm.
I release any frustration.
I respond gracefully to any situation.
I do not hold stress inside; I feel it pass through me and disappear.
I let go of Before.
I am happy, healthy and calm in Jesus.
Imagine yourself going through your specific jobs today with ease and a smile.
Kids yelling at each other? Visualize yourself responding in a gentle, guiding manner.
Feel like your to-do list is longer than your day? Imagine yourself calmly completing each chore with joy and relaxing at the end of the day.
Whatever you have to do, just imagine yourself doing it the best possible way it can be done.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, "whatever is good, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy...meditate on these things."
When we set our minds on failure and anger and disappointment and fear, it is not glorifying to God or helpful for us.
"Set your mind on things above," visualize yourself being filled with a quiet and gentle spirit, and know that God is for you and He promised that when you commit your way to Him, He will bring it to pass.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."[Matt.5:6]
So, when I wake up, I pray; I dedicate myself and the new day to God. I ask for eyes fixed on things on things above and focused on what is right. "Keep my eyes from looking at worthless things." "Let the words of mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." Let me "seek peace, and pursue it", let the "law of kindness be on my lips". Help me to remember Your faithfulness..."This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope."
After prayer, I do breathing.
Depending on how much time I have, I might do just a few deep, relaxing breaths and feel a sense of peacefulness inside to carry through the day.
Or I might turn on a YouTube video for parasympathetic breathing. I usually combine something called alternate nostril breathing, or yoga nidra, with a timed breath technique I learned from heart rate variability practice (HRV). I will post details on that soon...
I really like to do yoga as well, again using YouTube videos (almost always Yoga with Adrienne), and I find it feel so much better after all that breathing and stretching and connecting with my body.
These are just a couple things you can do to renew your mind and have a good day.
Practice gratitude, it truly makes a huge difference.
Find a good devotional book or two; these can really turn your perspective around.
Journaling in the morning to set intention, or in the evening to review the day and purge your mind can be helpful.
Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming to start something new, so break it down a little; commit to choosing one thing a day for a week, like "today I choose joy", or " today I choose kindness", and focus on Bible passages with that theme, ask God to grow that specific virtue in you, and look for it in others and also try to spread it. Be intentional.
God desires for you to succeed in serving him better, so He will help you in your efforts to become a better person. He has placed His Spirit inside of everyone who believes on Him, and He will bless you with strength to do what is right and beautiful and good, and glorifying to Him.
"Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." [Galatians 6:9]
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