this is not an assignment. you are in charge. (advice i offer to someone who asked for it)
also it's an offering for anyone who wants it
dear friends,
i’m grateful you’re here.
thank you for being alive like you are.
and now, for today’s thoughts.
often i share short jokes here.
sometimes i share longer pieces, like when someone asks for advice.
this is an exchange i had about three years ago, during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. a friend asked for advice and i offered what i could and now i offer it here, for anyone who might find it useful.
MY FRIEND:
trying to figure out how to manage anxiety!
got any tips? i just bought magnesium chews!
ME (THE REST OF THIS IS ME):
i do have some tips, that i offer as things that help me a lot in various ways, and you might be different but maybe some of them will ignite something for you.
PS i wrote this whole thing and it's a little long and one thing I say further down is that you don't HAVE to do some specific things, including "read this whole message," so that's something that i hope helps. this is not an assignment. you are in charge. read on as desired!
1) when i wake up, i don't look at email, internet, social media, for a certain amount of time. the longer the better, if possible! i learned about something called the "formative minutes of the day," which is like the formative years of our lives1.
if someone has a baby, it's good to make sure they get all the necessary nutrition and loving care and affection Especially during the first couple years, when they are forming. and so, starting the Day like our day is a baby can be a nice way to set the tone.
so, i start with reading a calming book (often thich nhat hanh, sometimes pema chodron, sometimes ram dass2) while i drink a liter of water. (Rini3 is big on water. and now i am too. i drink 2-3 liters a day. it feels good to get one of those done in the first half hour while awake, while reading. that generally determines how long i read. often 10-15 minutes. a chapter maybe. or only a few pages if my mind wanders. no requirements. just nice to have the goal of drinking all that water.)
then i meditate with an app for 10-20 minutes4. i like "insight timer" these days. then i write my morning pages on 750words dotcom, which is sometimes creative, sometimes a message to my girlfriend or a friend or a parent or another loved one, sometimes just journaling for myself, sometimes just stream of consciousness, sometimes song lyrics or rhyming. rhyming makes me feel good.
so, that's NUMBER ONE tip. tl;dr version: start the day as peacefully as possible. (some people pray, some exercise, some just sit, some look at nature. just start slow, if you can and want to!)
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