How to Reset Your Emotional Well-being
Greetings 4am Fitness Crew.
Be mindful. Be intentional. Reverence this space. Let us Reset.
There is a sublime permissiveness about our 4am Fitness space that gifts us the freedom to reset. Reset to inner peace. Reset to acceptance. Reset to embrace ALL of you.
Nature has tenderly carved out this intimate refuge for us to take pleasure in embracing ourselves and her. Just the two of “us.” In this stillness we can hear our voices clearly - and the lively dawn chorale of the birds uninterrupted. In this tranquil retreat we can feel our hearts leap in gratitude as we welcome another breathtaking sunrise. No two are ever alike. In this unhurried place we can celebrate the rhythmic reassurance of our early morning breathing, while the applause of the dew gleaming leaves welcomes us to a new day. Oh nature, what a romantic you are.
“How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew!”~Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are not just resetting our breathing; we are resetting from anxiety to tranquility, fear to confidence, disappointment to hope, anger to forgiveness, doubt to boldness, self-loathing to empowerment. We are resetting to wellness. This is your Hour of Power 4am Fitness Crew!
“What I know for sure is that every sunrise is like a new page, a chance to right ourselves and receive each day in all its glory. Each day is a wonder.”~Oprah Winfrey (Best Sunrise Quotes)
As the night gives way to the beauty and bounty of sunrise – step over the litter - the toxicity of yesterday’s frustration, resentment, and doubt - and confidently embrace the promise of this new day.
I am not advocating avoidance or not taking responsibility. You will analyze what went wrong. You will examine why you let doubt and fear take the lead. But you will NOT allow those experiences to sabotage the hope of a new day. We are confident, that you, our 4am Fitness Crew member will (do the challenging work and) take those experiences and mix them into your emotional mortar – for a stronger and more resilient you.
If birds can enter the dawn hour with a melody of expectancy – so, can we. The bird’s refrain is one of celebration, an appreciation of the generosity, and abundance that dawn offers. The dawn hour is when insects are most abundant. Similarly, we should enter this hour with jubilant song, basking in the emotional abundance this hour provides us.
Too often we attempt to outsource our emotional reset to our lovers, our kids, our friends. Dangerous! Your emotional reset is solely your responsibility. And we should be happy – even relieved, that such a sacred responsibility is solely ours. We should cringe at the possibility of someone having an emotional veto in our lives.
Resetting does not come naturally to me. I pretty much approached resetting with the same indifference as I did stretching routines in the physical exercise space (Check out our blog on the necessity of stretching). Such an approach is as dangerous to the mind as it is to the body. As stretching prepares the body for physical exercise by keeping our muscles strong, healthy, and flexible, so too our early morning emotional reset processes out bitterness, resentment, fear, regret and other toxic emotions that impede our wellbeing. When we find ourselves in a protracted emotional funk during the day; anxious, impatient, and way too easily annoyed – it’s a good possibility that we skipped out or compromised the quality of our early morning emotional reset.
“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” ~Bernard William (Best Sunrise Quotes)
The following five steps is the path to our 4am emotional reset. The path to reclaiming our emotional well-being.
Step 1. Deep Breathing Exercises
“Deep breaths are like little love notes to your body.”~Unknown
Deep breathing is the primary relaxation technique that reduces stress and elevates your mood – bringing together mind and body in harmony – in stillness – in a receptive space to reset emotionally.
The benefits of deep breathing to the relaxation of body and mind are widely herald but (still) worth repeating. Some of these benefits are:
enhance feelings of calm and well-being
helps you to be more present and focus
boost physical energy
lowered blood pressure and heart rate
improves digestion
helps promotes correct posture
lower levels of stress hormones in the blood
reduced lactic acid build-up in the muscle tissue
helps detox the body by getting rid of toxic gases and carbon dioxide
enhanced immune system functioning.
Breathing exercises are simple, requiring no special equipment or incurring any extra expense. Chances are you are already a practitioner of a preferred method, however if you are not, I recommend the simple 5-5-5 method.
I often get up from a good night’s sleep burdened. It should not be – but it happens. It is like the anxieties of the day menacingly flashing before me. Why are those realities that should exist outside of my 4am sacred space just sitting sinisterly at my bed’s edge? Unnerving. This is why I apply the 5-5-5 breathing technique with prescription instructing discipline.
The 5-5-5 breathing technique triggers my parasympathetic nervous system to calm me down, whether I am in my 4am Sanctuary of Serenity, stuck in traffic and running late for that all important appointment, or some “nothing burger” that triggers a torrent of anxiety. Apply it anywhere, anytime. No special posture necessary.
5-5-5 Calming Breathing Exercise
1. Breathe in slowly through your nose for 5 seconds
2. Hold breath for 5 seconds
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 5 seconds
4. Repeat the process 3-5 times (for about one-minute total)
5. Focus on your breath as you do it. Embrace the calmness
Step 2. Embrace the stillness of the moment
I have never mediated in my life. I don’t practice yoga or any religion. I’m a tourist on the realm of stillness.”~Pico Lyer
Stillness can be defined as, you shutting out the noise of other voices, and only entertaining your voice and the voices of those who serve your emotional upliftment. You might close your eyes or leave them open. You might label the moment meditation or prayer. Whatever you practice, commit to keeping the space emotionally still. Turn up the quiet.
Embrace this moment where stress and anxiety are locked out. Celebrate this moment of clarity where you can hear your voice uninterrupted. Yes, tranquility reigns here.
Step 3. Take an emotional inventory
“By three methods we may learn wisdom, first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”~Confucius
In this space of calm and reassurance, you have the freedom to take an emotional inventory. Be assured, because of your intentionality and mindfulness in the above two steps - the highs (of this exercise) will not overwhelm you and the lows will not cast you down. This is your space. This is your safe, non-judgmental space - honest and unfiltered. What am I excited and grateful for today? What is making me feel lonely and frustrated? What is it that is making me continue to hold onto that hurt?
Stillness brings calm and clarity and answers. However, every question will not be answered, but this “Time to Emotionally Reset” space will confidently put you on the path to hope and healing, and if needed - seeking the compassionate and professional help you need to complete that journey.
Step 4. Affirmations
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.”~ Muhammad Ali
The “you” that will victoriously emerge from the above three steps will joyfully embrace wholesome affirmations to define your day, while keeping toxicity at bay. You are rested. You are rejuvenated. You are calm. You are bold. You are glorious! You are ready to power your day with upliftment.
The above three steps have cleansed out the fear, fatigue and trepidation that awoke me this morning. My soul’s cistern is now ready and eager to be filled with the wholesome, the benevolent, the embracing, the …
“I will be kind.”
“Hate is not an option.”
“I will focus on solutions.”
“I will not linger on negative people and situations.”
“I will define my day.” Too often we let others define what is a “good” or “bad” day.
“I will be a purveyor of hope.”
“I will be grateful.”
“I am committed to a healthy body.”
“I will do my 5-5-5 breathing exercises rather than let profanity be my outlet.”
“I am committed to healthy relationships.”
“I will not be prideful and boastful.”
“I will pause often (emotionally and physically) to uplift and embrace and encourage others.”
Step 5. Hello World!!!
“I love sunrises. They always signify something new and something beautiful. The darkness fading away.”~Michelle N. Onuorah
Do some more deep breathing and some light stretching and then …
Goodbye fear.
Hello world!
This morning we celebrate the boundless opportunities this emotional reset has gifted us.
Ready to start your wellness journey?
Visit our Wellness Coaching page to learn more and schedule your consultation today!
