How to Start Your Day With a Clear Mind

Have you ever noticed when you’re just falling asleep at night or just waking up in the morning, you’re sometimes struck with a really great idea?

It may even happen to you when you wake up in the middle of the night.

This is because your thinking mind is quiet when falling asleep or waking up from sleep.

In neuroscience, it’s referred to as the different brain wave states. When we are in High Beta, there is a lot of activity happening in the brain and our minds are really busy with lots of thinking and stimulation. We must move from High Beta down to Theta, with much less brain activity, in order for our body to fall asleep.

And so it makes sense that when you’re just falling asleep at night or just waking up in the morning, you’re sometimes struck with a really great idea.

It’s because activity in the brain is still relatively quiet, meaning, you’re not thinking very many thoughts.

And when our thinking is quiet, that’s when there is space for fresh thought, creativity, and innovative solutions to problems to come through.

The other morning I was slowly waking up and felt very peaceful as I was rousing.

Then, a few seconds later, I noticed that I “picked up” all the thinking that I had going on the day before.

It felt like a big tangled ball of yarn that my mind picked up from yesterday and wanted to continue turning over and over and over with all of the story “yarns” on repeat.

But here’s the interesting part –

We can choose to not pick up that tangled ball of yarn, AKA the busy thinking thoughts that we were thinking all day yesterday.

We can choose to stay in that calm and peaceful state that we experience when we’re slowly waking up.

It’s the space of your True Nature, that is always calm, content, and peaceful. It’s the source of all creativity, innovation, and fresh new thought that’s wanting to come through to help you with your day-to-day life.

But first you must be aware that you’re even “picking up” your thinking in the first place.

And who is doing the “picking up”?

It’s your True Nature. The real you.

You are not your thoughts.

You are the part of you that’s observing your thoughts.

This is the part where everyone asks me for the technique to not pick up your thoughts.. ??

I love the metaphor from Dr. Dicken Bettinger of putting your hand on a hot stove.

Do you know the experience of touching a hot stove, and you quickly move your hand away?

Well you didn’t need a technique for that. You just automatically pulled your hand away.

Your thoughts work the same way.

When you notice that you’re replaying the same thoughts, problems, issues, judgements and reactive thoughts day after day (Neuroscience estimates 60% of our thinking is repetitive and carried over every day!), then you can also choose to simply not engage with it. Direct your attention elsewhere.

As one of my clients says, be like Elsa and “Let it Go!”

This is the secret to starting to enjoy life more in the here and now.

It’s recognizing that you can choose which thoughts you give your attention to.

And the background to your experience, the part of you that’s choosing and noticing your thoughts, is always calm, peaceful, and content.

Then your ruminating thoughts start to become like a radio that’s playing in another room. You can choose to listen to it, or not give it your attention.

Enjoying life more and feeling content and peaceful NOW means that you don’t need to go out in the world and do anything or make any changes in order to feel better.

You’re already here.

Nothing outside of you can bring you contentment, peace, or happiness. Only you can do so by tuning inward to that space that’s always available to you 24/7.

Once the realize THAT, well, the world is your oyster.

Live as if every day is precious, because it is,

Tracey

P.S. Do you have a big goal on your heart? Maybe you’re looking to start a business or side hustle, create a legacy project for your family, or make some kind of wildly valuable contribution to the world?

What if I told you that you could accomplish it while also enjoying life more? Because BIG goals that are here to help make the world a better place are supported by your clear mind and inner GPS that’s always available. It’s as if you have the wind at your back with every step. You just need to learn how to detach from your thinking mind that wants to keep you small and step into your greatness that’s calling you forward.