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Posted: August 28th, 2007 at 12:46am By: Rev. Jay Speights
In this column last week, I asked you to make America a happier America by taking inventory of what is in your spiritual and mental closets. Look inside and find out what is there that fosters anger, negativity and incivility, and throw it out.
So this week I thought I would offer some more prescriptive measures about how we can make America happier.
This week's recommendation deals with how we start our day. How we wake up each morning is very important. I used to have a loud, blaring alarm clock. That thing would rattle me right out of my sleep. From that point on, I would be tense for a good part of the day.
The alarm was like a trigger for me to start thinking about the challenges of the day or some lingering pesky thoughts from the past. It was like a call to battle. I felt almost warlike when it would sound. Truthfully, I was getting ready for battle — the battle that would take place everyday in my heart and mind — me vs. the world of stress. I would never wake up and just lie there and say, "What a beautiful day. It's good to be alive."
Actually, I felt like a sculpture that I saw in a trendy bistro in the U Street section of Washington, D.C. The sculpture is about 6 feet high and is called "Urban Warrior." It is the image of a man holding a spear in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He is ready to take on the contemporary world. He jumps into the daily battle. He is hurried. He is ready to go!
Instead of charging out of bed and raging into the daily battle, I now turn off my gentle alarm, lie there in the quietness, and pray. I avoid all thoughts about the past and things to come that day.
The business of the day is something that does need to be factored into your thoughts, but not the first thing in the morning. Most of us have an awakening ritual. My advice is to examine yours and see how it impacts on your daily stress level and thought process. Ask yourself honest questions about it, and if you determine that it is negative or stressful in the slightest way, then change it.
That's what I did. I no longer take a warrior-like approach to my day. Under my new approach, I wake up to a CD playing nature sounds accompanied by woodwinds, strings, chimes, etc. Instead of being rattled from my sleep, I gradually wake up in a calm, easy manner without jolting my central nervous system. This may sound like a simple thing to do, but it has drastically changed my approach to the rest of the day.
I found that one of the worst things you can do is awaken to the daily news. Nothing summons stress-causing agents more than those national and local news personalities reminding you of all the doom and gloom from the previous day or night. Think about it — the first thing you hear is the body count from wars and natural catastrophes around the globe, or what poor person got shot or died in a car accident or fire the previous night. You may not want to admit it, but these stories of gloom and destruction imprint negative images and thoughts in our minds that travel with us the rest of the day.
When I would hear a report in the morning about some local youth dying in a car wreck or from some other cause the previous night, I would immediately think about my two daughters and the dangers American youth face every day. The same is probably true for parents with children in the armed forces. Don't think I am suggesting you avoid the news. We all need to be informed. However, I am suggesting that negative news should not be the first thing you hear or watch upon awakening.
If you do change your morning ritual, make sure you inform those you live with. They have to honor and support it. Nothing can be more disturbing upon awakening early in the morning than discussions involving finances and household management. These are topics that immediately raise the level of tension. In short, avoid any topic or activity upon awakening that will summon the stress demons. There is enough stress waiting for you once you leave your house.
Instead of doing stress-causing things, how about taking a few minutes to be still and give thanks to the Creator for a day full of bright new possibilities, and for all the many blessings in your life? Then you may want to spend some time reflecting on your loved ones, praying for them and thinking about your first encounters with them. I ask you: Do you want them to encounter a tense and somewhat angry person in the morning? Do you really want to be just another member of the possessed army of commuters on the roads, trains and buses? I don't think you do. So I urge you to make America happier by stepping a little more gently into your day.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York . You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
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In this column last week, I asked you to make America a happier America by taking inventory of what is in your spiritual and mental closets. Look inside and find out what is there that fosters anger, negativity and incivility, and throw it out.
So this week I thought I would offer some more prescriptive measures about how we can make America happier.
This week's recommendation deals with how we start our day. How we wake up each morning is very important. I used to have a loud, blaring alarm clock. That thing would rattle me right out of my sleep. From that point on, I would be tense for a good part of the day.
The alarm was like a trigger for me to start thinking about the challenges of the day or some lingering pesky thoughts from the past. It was like a call to battle. I felt almost warlike when it would sound. Truthfully, I was getting ready for battle — the battle that would take place everyday in my heart and mind — me vs. the world of stress. I would never wake up and just lie there and say, "What a beautiful day. It's good to be alive."
Actually, I felt like a sculpture that I saw in a trendy bistro in the U Street section of Washington, D.C. The sculpture is about 6 feet high and is called "Urban Warrior." It is the image of a man holding a spear in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He is ready to take on the contemporary world. He jumps into the daily battle. He is hurried. He is ready to go!
Instead of charging out of bed and raging into the daily battle, I now turn off my gentle alarm, lie there in the quietness, and pray. I avoid all thoughts about the past and things to come that day.
The business of the day is something that does need to be factored into your thoughts, but not the first thing in the morning. Most of us have an awakening ritual. My advice is to examine yours and see how it impacts on your daily stress level and thought process. Ask yourself honest questions about it, and if you determine that it is negative or stressful in the slightest way, then change it.
That's what I did. I no longer take a warrior-like approach to my day. Under my new approach, I wake up to a CD playing nature sounds accompanied by woodwinds, strings, chimes, etc. Instead of being rattled from my sleep, I gradually wake up in a calm, easy manner without jolting my central nervous system. This may sound like a simple thing to do, but it has drastically changed my approach to the rest of the day.
I found that one of the worst things you can do is awaken to the daily news. Nothing summons stress-causing agents more than those national and local news personalities reminding you of all the doom and gloom from the previous day or night. Think about it — the first thing you hear is the body count from wars and natural catastrophes around the globe, or what poor person got shot or died in a car accident or fire the previous night. You may not want to admit it, but these stories of gloom and destruction imprint negative images and thoughts in our minds that travel with us the rest of the day.
When I would hear a report in the morning about some local youth dying in a car wreck or from some other cause the previous night, I would immediately think about my two daughters and the dangers American youth face every day. The same is probably true for parents with children in the armed forces. Don't think I am suggesting you avoid the news. We all need to be informed. However, I am suggesting that negative news should not be the first thing you hear or watch upon awakening.
If you do change your morning ritual, make sure you inform those you live with. They have to honor and support it. Nothing can be more disturbing upon awakening early in the morning than discussions involving finances and household management. These are topics that immediately raise the level of tension. In short, avoid any topic or activity upon awakening that will summon the stress demons. There is enough stress waiting for you once you leave your house.
Instead of doing stress-causing things, how about taking a few minutes to be still and give thanks to the Creator for a day full of bright new possibilities, and for all the many blessings in your life? Then you may want to spend some time reflecting on your loved ones, praying for them and thinking about your first encounters with them. I ask you: Do you want them to encounter a tense and somewhat angry person in the morning? Do you really want to be just another member of the possessed army of commuters on the roads, trains and buses? I don't think you do. So I urge you to make America happier by stepping a little more gently into your day.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York . You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
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