Personally, I feel terrible when I wake up and the first thing I do is look at my phone (especially to scroll through social media). When I do this I immediately feel like I am not in control of my life. Then I get sad because I feel powerless to this little electronic box I keep in my pocket. To me, this routine is morning suicide. It sets me back right away, and the rest of the day I feel like I’m trying to play catch-up with my confidence.
I believe our country is stuck in this routine, amplified to the max. At the same time, People 25 and younger are less happy than ever. We shouldn’t overlook this.
Our morning routines are all jacked up because we aren’t taking control over our impulses. Our phones realize we aren’t taking control over our impulses and slide right into that empty ownership position. Our phones infiltrate our minds and steal our mornings with the stealth of a Trojan horse.
I think it’s vital to take back our mornings from these things. When we don’t pick them up, half the morning battle is won.
Once we take our mornings back from a device that continually tells us how little control we have over the world, we should give control to an underused device that shows us how much more control we have over the world than we thought. Those devices we should start to give control to are our own bodies.
We are overstimulated, overweight, and overanxious, because our bodies are underused, undertrained and vastly underestimated. Train the body, and the mind will then follow in consequence.
As Chris said, “Asking someone to think their way out of overthinking is like asking a cocaine addict to sniff his way out of a cocaine addiction.” Going on a run or going to the gym, and pushing your physical limits will break down your mental walls. Physical strength brings mental strength.
I feel better when I decide not to look at my phone first thing in the morning, and I make myself get in a run or a lift. Those are my best days mentally. I think these are my best days because when I do these things I not only build confidence, but I realize I am not powerless. I am able control my little section of the world. Then I can expand my little section of the world outward.
I believe we must take these two steps in order to be happier and healthier:
Put our phones down and take back our mornings.
Implement physical exhaustion into our everyday morning routines.
It’s crazy that this is such a common problem these days. Almost a host/parasite relationship. Scary times…
This resonates. Waking up early and taking control of the morning feels so good. Not looking at your phone right away, and accomplishing something challenging first, is so simple and so powerful.