Page 11 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2018

{ WELLNESS }

your best dAy begins noW

By Lynne Yryku

“What good shall I do today?” Benjamin Franklin started can put you in a great mindset for the rest
every day asking himself this question. He then spent the of the day.
If movement is more your thing, the
next two hours planning his day’s work to act on the answer. morning is a great time to exercise. (If it
How does your morning compare? seems daunting, try the 7-Minute Work-
out app or read my column from the
spring issue for some quick workouts!) It’s
here is a renewed focus on morning and it takes an average of 23 minutes to also a great way to reduce stress and anxi-
routines—moving beyond running get back on track. 2 ety—exercise releases endorphins, do-
taround like a maniac to get out the So with your specifc goals in mind, set pamine, norepinephrine and serotonin,
door toward something motivating and aside an allotted time in your morning a.k.a. the “feel-good” hormones.
enjoyable. Whether you want to boost routine to tackle those high-priority proj- Looking for another way to release
your productivity, reduce your stress or ects. Do not do anything else. If this is new those positive hormones? A cold shower.
increase your movement, it boils down to you, it can be really hard to stay focused Start by taking your usual warm shower,
to your morning habits—and even small on a single task. But stick with it and you turning it to cold at the end. Almost im-
changes can really add up. will quickly see results. mediately norepinephrine starts to rise,
As a bonus, it can also be a pretty ef- which lowers your stress and leaves you
early to bed fective way to reduce stress. The sheer feeling more refreshed and energized. The
Of course, your morning begins the luxury of working without interruption is hard part is actually doing it!
night before. Set yourself up for suc- grounding and calming. You will continue Even a short and simple morning
cess by creating your game plan for the your day already armed with a sense of ac- routine reduces your stress. There’s great
next day. Write out the tasks you want complishment. freedom in creating structure. Then you
to accomplish, lay out your clothes, pre- don’t have to waste energy thinking about
pare your lunch and do whatever else healthy and Wise repetitive tasks.
you can to reduce the risk of a harried Perhaps you want to focus only on reduc- Remember, it is the small things done
next day. ing stress. An early morning meditation every day that make a big difference. Con-
practice may be the answer. While it may tinuous, incremental improvements add
early to rise take weeks of daily practice to feel the full up to substantial change over time. So be-
Start with an early wake-up. The quiet benefts, there is the instant gratifcation gin by improving your mornings and the
morning hours allow you to focus on of a relaxed body and mind after only one rest of your life will follow suit. ❚
an important personal or work project session. As you go on, you will fnd you
without being interrupted. To learn and are able to channel this inner peace when
progress requires “concentrated study,” as dealing with challenges, redirecting your- Lynne Yryku (LYryku@ccca-cba.org) is the Execu-
philosopher and spiritual writer Antonin self from anger and rumination to calm. tive Editor of CCCA Magazine. She also holds a
graduate certifcate in workplace wellness and
Sertillanges frst stated in the early twen- You’ll see benefts with a commitment health promotion. However, she is not a doctor, so
tieth century, and modern psychologists of as little as fve minutes. If you need this article is not intended to constitute or replace
1
and neuroscientists have proven it again some help, there are many great apps to medical advice. If you have any concerns or ques-
and again. Yet, many of us get interrupted get you started—I like Headspace and tions about your health, you should always consult
(or self-interrupt) several times per hour Insight Timer. This short pause from life with a physician or other healthcare professional.

1 Antonin Sertillanges, The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Method, Catholic university of America Press, 1921.
2 Kermit Pattison. “Worker, Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching,” https://www.fastcompany.com/944128/worker-interrupted-cost-task-switching

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