7 Morning Habits That’ll Start the Whole Family’s Day On a More Positive Note (Even Now)

It is easy to wake up with a worried or stressed attitude during these days of quarantine and pervasive sickness. Everything you see on the news or social media tends to lend toward fear and panic. While it is always good to monitor the current situation, it is never good to let yourself lose the ability to practice positivity. Having a positive mindset, especially in times of uncertainty, will go a long way to benefitting your mental health and that of your family. Here are some ways you can set a positive mindset for your day even in the midst of COVID-19.

Morning Mindset Routine for Moms and Dads

Start with Gratitude

Gratitude can be a powerful influencer. For me, it begins when I first wake up. As I get out of bed I think, “I am so grateful for another day in this life. Today is a beautiful day.”

Then as I brush my teeth I go through my gratitude list in my head (it really helps pass the time with my two-minute electric tooth brush timer). I list things big and small. I also list my grateful intentions (things you are grateful for that have not happened yet). You see, feeling grateful for something as if it happened allows us to align with energy around us to make it happen faster. But, that’s an article for another time!

Here are some examples of the things on my gratitude list:

I am so grateful for . . .

• my healthy and strong son.
• my happy, loving and respectful marriage.
• our beautiful house.
• our new car.
• my family.
• a strong immune system.
• my family and I are healthy.
• to positively affect other people’s lives.
• I made $2500 in sales today (this is an example of one of my grateful intentions).
• we remodeled our kitchen (this is another grateful intention of mine).

Focus on Energy and Vitality

Next, I drink a glass of water right when I go downstairs – our bodies need water to jumpstart in the morning. Just think, we just went 8 hours without one sip!

Some people drink coffee for energy and I find my energy by drinking two glasses of water within 30 minutes of waking up. One is just water and the other is hot water with ½ of freshly squeezed lemon (this has many benefits, including boosting the immune system, digestion, and weight loss).

Take Time for a 10 Minute Meditation

Lastly, before I start work, I meditate. There are a ton of guided meditations online and I usually search for “Law of Attraction Guided Meditations” or “Reiki Money Blocks Mediations.” I do ones that are 10 minutes or less. Here are my all-time favorite meditations that made a huge impact on my life and they are all 10 minutes or less:

1. Reiki Money Blocks Healing Meditation by Blended Insight (This one is my all-time favorite and I use it not just for attracting more money. The music is the most beautiful I have ever heard. Very powerful.)
2. Attract Money with Law of Attraction by Magical Meditations
3. Reiki Triangle Meditation for Setting Your Intention + Manifestation by MinuvidaTV
4. Remote Energy Healing by dinparadise (My family uses this for everything from calming anxiety – took my panic attack away within minutes, when my son gets a runny nose he will listen, when we had the flu, or just anytime you want to get in a positive mind frame.)

There is no right or wrong way to meditate. But here are some tips for beginners:

• Be open to receiving the healing energy.
• Use headphones and sit or lay down in a comfortable, quiet place – low light works best. I prefer sitting and I sit in my office chair when I meditate.
• Envision the most peaceful and powerful beam of white light entering your body through the top of your head (your crown) and filling up every part of your body.
• Imagine the light going down your torso, your arms, your legs, etc.
• Envision grey smoke or black clouds exiting your body – this is all the negative energy/thoughts that you are releasing.
• Drink lots of water afterwards.

Now that you have a positive mindset, it’s time to power work before your kids get up. I don’t check emails just yet or look on social media or the news. I use this precious morning time to finish important work tasks or put a good dent in a big project.

Morning Mindset Routine for Kids

When your child wakes up it’s time to get them in a positive mindset.

Get Them Fueled Up

First, fuel your kids! Right after they wake up, make them a superfood smoothie! Put some dense nutrients in those growing bodies right away.

I love this quick smoothie-making formula. Just add your chosen ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 small banana, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mango, apple, or kiwi)
• ½ cup veggies (kale, spinach, raw fresh or frozen chopped cauliflower, raw fresh or frozen sliced zucchini, raw fresh or frozen sliced summer squash, roasted sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, steamed diced beets)
• Optional add ins (pick 1-2):
  • 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, chia seeds, or ground flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon nut butter
  • 2 tablespoons avocado
  • 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon rolled oats

Get Them Movin’ and Meditating

Next, encourage your kids to do some stretching or independent free movement to wake up their bodies. Then take a few minutes to guide them through a quick meditation. Here’s how:

• Find a comfy spot, preferably in low light.
• Turn on some soft music or pull up a guided meditation app for kids.
• Make it fun! It’s important not to force meditation on kids but casually get them into it a few minutes to start and make it fun. Build up to 10 minutes or even 15 minutes for teens.
• For toddlers, meditation can simply be learning to breathe mindfully. When my son was 3 years old, he started doing long breaths in and out one day at home when I asked him to calm down. I remembered the teachers at his preschool had recently done a mindfulness workshop. My son confirmed that’s where he learned the deep breathing, telling me, “We do this in school, Mama.”

Guide Them Through “I am…” Statements

After the meditation end with “I am…” statements: I am focused. I am a good listener. I am healthy and strong. Whatever “I ams” work for your family. Write/print them on paper or a dry erase/chalk board. For little kids you can tell them what to say and they can repeat it back.

Set Expectations for the Day

Now is also a great time to set expectations for the day. Remind your kids why they are learning at home temporarily without scaring them. Talk about the importance of learning and how the home schedule will be a bit different from school but fun. You can remind them to give gratitude for having the ability to learn from home in this day and age. Remind your kids to practice good listening just like they listen in school. And then go over the schedule so they know what to expect for the rest of the day.

Starting yours and your kids’ days off with gratitude, mindfulness, movement, manageable expectations and a positive mindset will get you all off to a great start no matter the circumstances. Good job, mamas!

— Tasha Mayberry

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This article originally appeared on Baby Chick. Tasha is the owner and Editor-In-Chief of Best in Baby Biz & Kids Magazine and mom to a rambunctious and bright toddler boy named Vasya. Tasha loves sharing parenting tips to help fellow moms as well as stories of the best baby and kids brands so that moms (and dads!) can discover new, unique products and gifts while supporting mom/parent-owned businesses. She is a mom inventor, author, co-founder of BuzzBOX PR, and a positive living expert.