Use Snooze Alarm to Practice Mindfulness in the Morning
The next time your morning alarm goes off, take nine minutes to relax, challenge yourself, and think about what you hope to get out of the day.
I’ve written before about the value of the morning brain dump , where you use the first part of the morning to capture any ideas your mind may have formed during these extremely important sleep cycles. If you’re having trouble making this morning ritual a habit, the answer might be built into your phone, smartwatch, or (if you’re still using one) a real alarm clock.
Inc recently published a list of 22 simple daily habits that can improve our lives , including advice from author and leadership expert Anese Cavanaugh, who advises us to set aside a certain amount of time each morning to practice mindfulness and use the snooze feature. on our alarms so that we have this time.
Here’s what Cavanaugh proposes to do during those crucial nine minutes:
First, check your body (how you feel, what you need, which parts may need extra TLC today, if you want or need exercise, or if you want or need rest). Then your mind: how do you feel about the problem that you tried to solve yesterday, a solution that you were just on the verge of a solution, but could not yet reach (sleep works wonders for solving problems), what you want to create today, and any other first thoughts that come in the morning. And finally, your heart and spirit: what are your emotions today, what is your heart, and where you might need a little extra care or nutrition … It is during this time that I often find solutions to problems that I could not deal with before. where I find out how I really feel about something, and when my intuition is strongest.
I agree that the morning often gives a fresh perspective on everything I stubbornly did the night before, especially if I slept especially well. It’s also a good idea to take at least a few minutes to mentally and physically prepare for the day ahead, instead of picking up your phone and checking email or, as many of us do these days, assessing our sleep.
So go ahead and hit snooze, and then use that time to reach out, reflect, connect with your partner, jot down any ideas your brain might come up with overnight, and so on.
You may find this practice even more refreshing than nine minutes of sleep.