"The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there."
W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm - ©Maree Clarkson
I often get asked the question, "but how can I raise my vibration, to be inspired and creative, especially when I'm feeling down? How do I get to feel better? I don't even feel like getting up in the morning."
Being in a state of high frequency (or raised vibration) is of utmost importance if you want to be able to give your vibrant best to your creativity or the people around you. When you're not feeling your best, you can't deliver your best.
There are a few of the ways that I have found helpful in raising my vibration when I find myself uninspired and at a low point:
Meditate for 10 or 20 minutes before going to bed, this paves the way for inner calm and a good night's sleep.
Prepare a bubble bath, adding some flower petals and essential oils like Bergamot, which has anti-depressant and anti-septic properties, light a candle and have a deep, long soak, emptying your mind of all the worries or negative thoughts that have been plaguing you.
Pamper yourself by going for a facial or a full body massage. Massaging the skin gets your blood and circulation flowing, releases toxins and results in better looking skin, better feeling thoughts.
Take some quiet time and read a book. Whether it's fact or fiction doesn't matter. Reading results in your attention being focused elsewhere for the time being, away from you problems.
Switch off the TV and listen to some inspirational tapes or music. Soothing music is a good way to calm your thoughts and listening to positive words and statements will raise your vibration immediately.
I stay away from the news as much as possible, editing the negative and not putting my attention to it. There is a lot of negativity in the news. While you may treat the news as just facts, exposing yourself continually to them may affect your subconscious mind. Reading negative news about the economy, for instance, may make you think that you have no chance, that there is no way for you to get the great future you want. It won’t do you any good since it will only make you discouraged. Even worse, the negative thought may eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The important thing is to ACT and do something, anything, to move yourself out of your current negative vibration. Without ACTION there is no attraction!
But one wants to cultivate a more permanent habit of being in a high frequency and therefore stimulating inspiration and creativity as much as possible.
Many years ago I discovered that rising early (4.30am most mornings) really sets me on the path of raised vibration for the rest of the day. First, I make myself an aromatic cup of coffee (discovered this wonderful Jamaican blend!) and take it outside to watch the sunrise. The birds would already be stirring and I watch them busying themselves with greeting one another and flitting from tree to tree. This is when I do my daily Gratitude Journal, giving thanks for my blessings and setting my intentions for the day. I also quickly flip through my to-do-list, reminding myself of the most important things to be done, (like sketching and painting!) and setting them as priorities on a new list (I'm a great list maker!)
My creative space in my Studio
This is also when I find it to be an ideal time for doing a quick sketch or starting on a new painting. I have set up a little cupboard on my patio, containing most of the necessary sketching and painting equipment so that I don't have to rush around preparing everything. During Winter, when it's still too dark and very cold, I make use of my studio where I do most of my art work, watching the sun rising over the Bluegum trees as I sip my coffee.
Afterwards, having a quick squizz at my e-mails ensures that I can deal with the most important immediately, leaving the rest for a quiet time during the day and, if there's still some time left over, I finish off a couple of chores.
Then at about 7.30am I have a relaxing bath, not rushing it, and get dressed for the day. The greatest benefit of rising early for me is that I can get a couple of tasks done before the rest of the household stirs and business starts demanding my attention. It also gives me direction and inspiration for the day, knowing that I have some interesting things to look forward to in my day ahead and that some of the work has already been taken care of.
Here are some more benefits of rising early and how to do it :
Quietude
No kids yelling, no babies crying, no soccer balls, no cars, no television noise. The early morning hours are so peaceful, so quiet.
Sunrise
People who wake late miss one of the greatest feats of nature, repeated in full stereo vision each and every day — the rise of the sun. I love how the day slowly gets brighter, when the midnight blue turns to lighter blue, when the brilliant colours start to seep into the sky, when nature is painted in incredible colours.
Exercise
There are other times to exercise besides the early morning, of course, but while exercising right after work is also very enjoyable, it’s also liable to be cancelled because of other things that come up. Morning exercise is virtually never cancelled.
Productivity
Mornings, for me at least, are a very productive time of day. You can do some writing in the morning, when there are no distractions.
Goal time
Got goals? There’s no better time to review them and plan for them and do your goal tasks than first thing in the morning. Set at least one goal that you want to accomplish this week. And every morning, you decide what one thing you can do today to move yourself further towards that goal. And then, if possible, do that first thing in the morning.
Commuting
No one likes rush-hour traffic, except for Big Oil. Commute early, and the traffic is much lighter, and you get to work faster, and thus save yourself more time. Or better yet, commute by bike. (Or even better yet, work from home!)
Appointments
It’s much easier to make those early appointments on time if you get up early. Showing up late for those appointments is a bad signal to the person you’re meeting. Showing up early will impress them. Plus, you get time to prepare.
I know many night owls who are highly inspired and creative. What methods do you use to raise your vibration to be inspired and creative? Share some of them with us here...
From Zen Habits
