The Mental Flex Mama

“Rise and Shine”, a phrase I had heard time and time again throughout my lifetime. It wasn’t until my early 30’s that I began to dissect it’s meaning and put my own spin on it. Being a single mama and early on in my journey I realized the importance of making the most out of my time and not wasting it, and also putting myself towards the top of my list when it came to priorities. To also put mental health at the top of my list, because you’d be surprised how much our mental health streams into every aspect of our lives and without minding our mental health, it can lead us down a bumpy road we don’t want to be on. That is where the phrase “Flex and Shine” came into play in my life. Realizing that there are only 24 hours in a day and wanting to make the most out of each hour, I understand the importance of waking up early each morning while everyone in the house is still asleep.

Why Are Morning Hours The Best Hours?

1. You get to experience the sun rising, which if you haven’t taken the time to do so I STRONGLY suggest that you do because those views are immaculate and it can start your day off with a smile and a view, maybe with a cup of coffee.
2. You have time to express gratitude. Something that may be difficult once the kids are awake and your cleaning up the third milk spill of the day and it’s not even 9am yet. I Keep a gratitude journal! I have found such a mind shift in my own life when I start off writing down three things I’m grateful for. It can be anything. Having the air in your lungs, have woken up to a clean house, or that you have a fun event coming up in the next week your looking forward to. Expressing gratitude to start your day is the same as setting the tone for your day, and you can bet it will be a great one!
3. You and yourself. Time spent alone can be viewed as a luxury when kids are screaming, and when no one is immediately demanding your attention. It is just you and your thoughts. Take advantage of this time to reflect. Write down what you want to accomplish today, or workout on the treadmill and get lost in a run for 20 minutes. Do something for yourself, eat breakfast in piece watching a favorite show. These moments mean a lot to us when we get so few of them in the entire span of a day.
4. Hobby habits! Mornings are a GREAT way to spent time working on a hobby or building a small business that you have been wanting to start but felt you “don’t have the time” Writing a book, crocheting, building a website, learning a new skill, anything it may be that brings you joy and that could increase your income in the future is always of great value and could pay off in the future. invest in yourself!
5. Work-It-Out! I personally have found working out to be beneficial to my mental health and also intertwines into being therapeutic as well. I devote 30 minutes in the mornings to working out. Taking care of yourself and your physical health ties into your mental health, relieves stress, and releases endorphins which make you happy and puts some pep into your step. You could run outside, run/walk on the treadmill, Lift weights, do yoga. The work out opportunities are endless.
6. Organize and Prioritize! We all understand how crazy mornings can get when you have kids. Frantically looking for a lost backpack 5 minutes before you need to be out the door, misplaced keys, or a defiant toddler who doesn’t cooperate can be taxing on our minds, adding to the stress and anxiety in our day. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Early Mornings can be fantastic for getting yourself prepped and ready for the day. Weather that’s laying out the kids clothes, rounding up socks and shoes, taking the time to pack your lunch for work. Those extra few minutes of making time to round up belongings and making sure everything is in order can make all the difference in a day.

There is a reason “the early bird gets the worm” and I’m certain it is because the early bird has found morning hours to be the most productive hours IN the entire day and is taking advantage of an opportunity to get more done and setting the stage for an even more productive and intentional day ahead.

6 Tips On How To Carry Around A Positive Attitude All Day:

1. Give Yourself Four Affirmations Every Morning- Positivity starts early, and what better way to begin your day then with positive self talk and giving yourself 4 or 5 or more compliments about how uniquely you you are
2. Treat Yourself To Self Care- Do something kind for yourself. Get that $7 coffee, or take a walk in nature, take a bubble bath, or pour yourself a glass of adult juice and crack open a favorite book. Things that make you feel good about yourself
3. Take Breaks- A busy and face paced life leaves little time for slowing down to smell the roses. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the heavy-ness life brings on. It’s healthy to recognize when you need a time out, or to take a break. It is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. Everyone needs a break every now and then. You’ll come back renewed and refreshed and ready to tackle that project, chore, work task, or whatever it may be
4.  Look For The Laughs- Laughter is the best medicine and can lighten your load, or lighten up someone else’s day. When in  doubt, laugh it out. Find laughter in the little moments, surround yourself with the loved ones around you who make you laugh, show off that smile girl!
5. Have Something To Look Forward To At The End Of Your Day- We all need some motivation to help get us through our days. Especially on our difficult and draining of days. Knowing there is a warm embrace waiting for us from our kiddos when you get home, or a pint of ice cream in the freezer with your name on it, or preparing a lovely meal for yourself because you are so deserving of it, indulge in the things that fill your cup up.
6. End Your Day With Gratitude- As our days wine down for the night, before you curl yourself up in your bed and fall asleep allow yourself to sit with your thoughts and say 2-4 things your grateful for that happened to you that day. It brings our day to a full circle moment when we can reflect on our day and pluck out the positive and the blessings we are thankful for.

Make sure your not overly hard on yourself if you day doesn’t turn out like you had wanted it to. Sometimes we give it our best, but sometimes we just make it through the day and we are anticipating this day to be over and starting fresh tomorrow. Don’t allow what negatively happened yesterday to flow into your tomorrow. Tomorrow is always a fresh start, a new you, and a day open and filled with potential and opportunity. Seize your day and seize your moments when you can get them. Surround yourself with like minded people, fill your days with positive input and feedback from others. If the environment your in becomes repetitive and mundane and boring it’s time to change it up and go on a walk after dinner. Change up your scenery to keep yourself inspired.  You have something beautiful and unique to offer this world. Be the light that you are meant to be. You have the power of choice and choosing to be happy and positive, to protect your light and not let others dim your shine. Keep kind to yourself and shine

The Take-Away:

Flex and Shine has significance to each of us in the sense that we can wake up with a grateful heart right from the start we are minding our mental health and prioritizing ourselves when we give ourselves more time to devote to “us” in those morning hours and we are feeling good about ourselves and feeling confident in our own skin. Own it and flex it cause we are all BOSS mamas and often times we aren’t reminded how much we are contributing. I am here to tell you that if you take ownership of who you are and build your balance of being mama AND being the best version of you, everything else will fall into place, given you take actionable steps.

Keep your flex, and shine girl shine!