According to researchers, 97 percent of us have a morning routine. Drinking coffee is crucial for about half of us, myself included.
Routines help us prepare for a successful day and give us a sense of control. They set the tone for the rest of the day. Although we can’t dictate everything that will happen in the next 24 hours, we can feel as if we are in control for those few moments during our morning ritual.
In the past, I’ve focused my morning routine on my body’s needs (showering, dressing, eating breakfast, etc.). But lately, I’ve added a potent new element—the proactive staging of my outlook for whatever the day may bring.
Creating a Mental Umbrella
Each morning, I create a mental umbrella. Why do I need one? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow explains why in his poem “The Rainy Day”: “Into each life some rain must fall.”
In his poem, Longfellow refers to the dark side of life that we know exists: adversity, trauma, war, hunger, and poverty. Creating an umbrella reflects that I don’t live in a sugar-coated world where rain never falls.
The opposite is more accurate. Sometimes, it’s rainy, and sometimes, it’s sunny. Some days it’s both. Some days are overcast. Other days produce rainbows.
I begin each day by reflecting on how I felt when I woke up. What was my outlook? Was I sad? Excited? Bored? Hopeful? Fatigued? Resentful? Overwhelmed? Whatever the day brings, I can create an all-encompassing mental umbrella that protects me.
The mental exercises that form my umbrella help me set the tone for approaching the unpredictable. They also help prevent me from overreacting to unexpected downpours or unfortunate events.
Six Mental Attributes
After some reflection, I chose six attributes to focus on when opening my umbrella each morning. I picked them because each serves me well.
- Joy: I review my life’s good stuff. The list varies from day to day. I might feel joy for the luxury of having family living nearby, the comforts of my tiny home, the anticipation of a planned trip to the beach, or the lovely dinner I had with friends the night before.
- Acceptance: I review any conditions in my life that I struggle to accept. I don’t try to wish away the dark stuff or pretend it isn’t here. Instead, I note its presence. Right now, I’m recovering from an illness that kept me in bed for four days. Because of this exercise, I stopped resisting the need for extra rest and instead allowed myself to give in to the healing process.
- Gratitude: I give thanks for positive moments, big and small. This morning, I was grateful that a computer problem that had frustrated me the day before had been resolved. I was thankful that our nights here in southern France have been delightfully cool. I gave thanks for a fun-filled long-distance conversation with my older sister.
Sometimes, I thank other people, Mother Nature, the Almighty, or the simple fact that I woke up to live another day.
- Self-Care: I review my day to see where I need to improve my self-care. This could mean adding something (like drinking more water now that the daytime temperature is rising) or taking something away (like binge-watching a streaming series after I should have turned off the light and gone to sleep).
- Learning: I spend a few minutes imagining what I could learn during the day, whether studying French or watching a documentary on the terracotta soldiers and horses discovered in China. I might also consider starting a new book or rereading a beloved one.
- Expectations: I check to ensure I will not cause myself difficulty by having unrealistic expectations. For example, if I don’t pay attention, I’ll overestimate the amount of work I can do on any given day. Or I will expect a certain event to occur—like the installation of the backyard awning—and then be disappointed when it doesn’t happen. I lower my expectations wherever I need to, saving myself unnecessary grief.
Time Well Spent
My ritual takes no more than five minutes, and creating this all-encompassing umbrella to protect my mental health has turned out to be the best use of my time each morning. The mental exercise has made me more optimistic. Starting my day with a proactive outlook on life has profoundly impacted my well-being and the quality of my life.
If addressing all six mental attributes seems overwhelming, I suggest focusing simply on being grateful. Of all the changes in our outlook, this one has the most impact. Gratitude is the “parent of all the other virtues,” according to Cicero.
Researchers tell us that feelings of joy and appreciation have a measurable impact on our bodies. The neurotransmitters that boost happiness—serotonin and norepinephrine—are increased, along with oxytocin, which makes us bond with others. The chemicals triggered by gratitude can lower our cardiac and EEG rhythms, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, head of the division of biologic psychology at Duke University Medical Center, says, “If [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system.”
Create Your Protective Umbrella
The six areas I focus on (joy, acceptance, gratitude, self-care, learning, and expectations) are unique to me and have evolved. To start your day, you might construct a personalized list of mental attributes based on your values.
Mortimer Adler, a renowned American philosopher, educator, editor, and advocate of education, said, “The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.”
I’m still learning. In this case, learning how to switch from a passive mode (accepting whatever mood I wake up in) to a proactive mode (deciding my outlook for the day) has been a lesson I wish I’d been taught earlier in life.
Do you need a mental umbrella to start your day?
All images from Canva