Gratitude Jar
Cassandra’s gratitude jar.
by Cassandra Martin-Himmons, LMSW
Your job is never done as a social worker. It can be gratifying, but also stressful. One way to manage job-related stress is by starting your day positively, which you can achieve through a morning routine.
A morning routine serves several purposes. First, it helps you become centered, so your morning isn’t just a flurry of activity leaving you feeling rushed, frazzled, and unprepared to help your clients meet their challenges. Second, it helps make time for bite-sized personal development that propels you forward without being overwhelming. Finally, it increases organizational skills, as morning routines work best if you prepare the night before.
I must confess that before creating a morning routine, I was guilty of hopping out of bed (at the last second), grabbing breakfast (or not), and running out the door. All of which was a recipe for disaster.
Marcus Aurelius had a saying that I believe is a mini blueprint for creating your perfect morning routine - one that helps you progress so that you can support your clients and manage any stressors that come along.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. Marcus Aurelius
Below are seven activities you can choose from to create a morning routine to care for yourself so that you can be there for your clients.
1. Breathe Deeply
Breathing exercises make a great addition to a morning routine. As social workers, we typically have to-do lists a mile long, and many of us don’t take the time to breathe deeply and fully. Deep breathing is simple and can be done even before you get out of bed.
One easy exercise is to time your breaths by taking six to ten deep inhales and exhales inside of a minute. Timing your breaths forces you to focus on your breathing, which helps with alertness. It also helps lessen stress during difficult situations.
2. Meditate
Meditation fits naturally with deep breathing. Early morning is a great time to engage in a meditation practice, because stillness prevails as others sleep.
If you find meditation difficult, consider guided meditation. Using an app or scripted recording, visualize yourself within a scenario that you find relaxing. For example, if you enjoy being at the beach, use guided meditation to imagine yourself walking along a serene beach. A guided meditation session doesn’t have to be long. Five or ten minutes will do.
3. Visualize
If meditation doesn’t thrill you, consider visualization. It has real world applications and is used by many athletes to prepare for big events. For example, if you know that your day is going to be stressful (filled with meetings, testifying in court, and so forth), visualize the day with the outcomes that you would like.
Why?
Visualizing positive outcomes cements them in your mind, helping you become more confident and less stressed. If you’re really concerned about upcoming events, visualize multiple scenarios to prepare for various outcomes. For example, if you know that an upcoming meeting’s purpose is to discuss a new initiative and your co-worker who disagrees with the initiative will be there, visualize a variety of responses to that co-worker’s arguments.
4. Be Mindful
Mindfulness helps you to be present, become centered, and get ready for the day ahead.
If you’re new to mindfulness, start simply, such as noticing the way the water feels when you’re taking a shower. Or when enjoying your morning coffee, savor its flavor or note how it feels as it flows over your tongue. Being hyper-focused on the present moment is a skill that can be helpful during client meetings, especially when there are many other things happening.
There is a great article on The Tiny Buddha website that goes deeper into a variety of ways to incorporate more mindfulness into your mornings.
5. Practice Gratitude
A gratitude practice involves taking a few minutes to reflect on what you’re thankful for and why. This positively impacts your day and helps develop your empathy muscle, which is helpful during client interactions.
For greater impact, write down at least three things each morning that you are grateful for. This can be in a journal, or as part of a gratitude jar.
A gratitude jar is any container that you like. Each day, write something that you’re grateful for onto a slip of paper and place in the jar. Once the jar is full, pick a slip and read it to remind yourself of who and what you’re grateful for. Having an attitude of gratitude is a great way to lessen stress.
6. Stretch
Gentle stretching gets your blood flowing and wakes your body up. Over time, you can expect benefits such as improved circulation and increased overall flexibility. Stretching is also a great prelude to morning exercise.
7. Read
From journal articles to client records, there is always plenty of reading to do. You can choose to keep up to date with the social work field or read materials that enhance your personal development.
Depending on your schedule, you can read a few pages or a whole chapter. You can read while you are having your breakfast, when you’re still in bed, or right after you’ve gotten dressed.
One thing that I enjoy about early morning reading is that it allows me to absorb and reflect upon what I’ve read throughout the day.
Now that we’ve discussed several possible activities for your morning routine, it’s time to choose one or two. Then gather your materials and place them in an easily accessible area. For example, one component of my morning routine is reading, so whatever book I’m reading is on my nightstand along with a notebook, pen, and highlighter.
Your morning routine doesn’t have to be elaborate. It’s more important to just begin. Even if your day turns out differently than you planned, a morning routine enables you to take on whatever life throws your way - which allows you to give your best self to your clients and manage your stress before your stress manages you.
Resources
Elrod, H. (2012). The miracle morning: The not-so-obvious secret guaranteed to transform your life (before 8 AM). Miracle Morning Publishing, LLC.
Deschene, L. (n.d.). 7 morning mindfulness practices to help you have an awesome day. Tiny Buddha. https://tinybuddha.com/blog/7-morning-mindfulness-practices-to-help-you-have-an-awesome-day/
Cassandra Martin Himmons
Cassandra Martin-Himmons, LMSW
Cassandra Martin-Himmons, LMSW, is a curriculum developer, facilitator, and stress management coach. She believes in empowering her clients to help them manage their stress and increase self-care. Connect with her on Instagram or at her blog, Making Time.