Inhale 4 counts, Hold for 4

Rituals for a positive start

i’m not here to sell you some dreamy morning routine where you wake up glowing like a disney princess, sipping tea made of stardust. life isn’t like that. but a little morning pick-me-up? it might help you keep your head above water. and on the best days, it might even make you sparkle.

for example, i do yoga. i don’t wake up in some zen bubble, twisting into fancy poses while birds sing. no. i wake up with knotted hair, blinking at the world like a confused raccoon. but i start small. breathing. big, deep breaths that stretch my lungs and make it feel like my heart is waking up too.

breathing saved me. i was in dubai, mid-run, having a full-blown meltdown by the road. this was a few days after my break-up with a long-term partner. i was super vulnerable. i didn’t know what triggered the outer bodily crying, maybe it was the release that comes from pounding one leg after another on the road?! tears streaming, knees scraped, heart completely shattered. it was embarrassing but that’s never stopped me from being me. i didn’t know what else to do, so i tried breathing. inhale. hold. exhale. over and over. it worked! the tears didn’t stop, but I was calmer.

want to try?
inhale for four counts.
hold for four.
exhale for four.

do it a few times & life feels a little less like it’s spiraling.

here’s what else works for me.

blast your song. you know the one—the song you never skip, no matter what. play it the moment you’re up. dance around. make coffee. or just stand there and let the music hold you. it’s like telling the day, “okay, i’m here.”

find your peace. i don’t meditate every morning, let’s be honest. but i sit still for a minute, maybe two, and listen. birds. car engines. the fridge humming. it’s not silence, really. it’s just a small moment that brings me back inside my body.

write it out. grab a pen and scribble. anything works. a to-do list. a messy thought. or even just “today, i feel like a storm.” writing clears space in your head, even if it’s just a little.

move your body. not a workout. not a marathon. just move. stretch, twirl, shake off yesterday. sometimes i go outside barefoot and feel the grass under my feet. when i was a kid, i’d run through the park like that—grass tickling my toes, sun in my hair. why did i stop? nature feels like a love letter waiting to be opened.

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what’s one small thing you do to steady yourself when life feels too big? i’d love to hear about it.

there’s so much magic in nature, if you just stop to notice. leaves rustling. birds singing. the sparkle of morning dew. it’s poetry, all of it. i even made a guide to help you see it, if you’re curious.

another way to show your love for my work is to share my posts, buy me a coffee to help me travel to America, & leaving sweet comments under my posts🧡