5 ways to get inspired before breakfast

Activities for before checking any electronic media and before engaging deeply with family and other morning-to-do's.

1/

Write "Morning Pages" for optimally 20 minutes, but 5 will also do, in a notebook with no goal. You simple write whatever comes from your mind to your hand. The important part is to not censor, what you write, just let your hand do the work. If what comes out is a series of harsh expressions about the worst day ever coming up, let it flow. The point of the exercise is exactly to cleanse your mind from this kind of emotional disturbance in order to get access to your creativity and sharpness of mind. The exercise is inspired by Julia Cameron in her book "The Artist's Way".

2/

Write a morning poem about the weather, where you leave out you and your interpretation. Make the poem rhyme. Here are examples in Danish and English:

       Himlen er grå - mod vest en plet af blå - dryp fra birkens grene - hansolsorten er alene

              Bird's footprints in the snow - small specks glow - silent the white falls - a father calls

I know, nothing spectacular, and that's the point, you allow a poem to emerge without censoring it.

The poem has a narrow frame: 1/write about the weather; 2/ no interpretation; 3/make it rhyme. A narrow frame activates creativity, and this exercise creates access to your artistic brainparts.

3/

Do the yoga exercise: Sun salutation. If you are not familiar with yoga, you can find a lot of instruction videos on Youtube. This exercise create connection between body and mind and relaxes stressful emotions.

4/

Go for a Medicine Walk, which is not a stroll with the dog. It is a walk with intent. You have an intent, for instance a question: What is my most important encounter today? or an intent of the day: Acceptance. A walk of 20 minutes (or more) is optimal. When you set out for the walk, tell yourself your intent a couple of times. Then let it be and walk with as much presens with your surroundings as you can, let whatever thoughts come up pass by without you taking notice. Observe what flirts with you. A bird singing loudly. A person hissing while running. The special tree. This will sharpen your ability to choose, what to focus on during the day.

5/

Listen to the 5 minutes morning meditation: "Morgenklar" (in Danish). This is a calming way to prepare for the day.

Enjoy.