Jumping out of the bed to start the day is very common, but we cannot do that (or we don’t do it) with our cars. We slowly rev up the engine. We are in such a hurry when the computer takes its own cool time to boot up. There is something to learn from this. I am not an expert on stress management but I have found that this jumping out of the bed business is an easy way to waste energy.

In nature things don’t happen like that. Observe how a cat wakes up from its sleep. It first curls up and this is true for most animals. Even birds take a few seconds to take flight once woken up from their sleep. There must be something that is needed to have this transition. At least the change of position from being horizontal to vertical must be having some impact on biological aspect of the body.

We definitely need to change the mode from sleeping to active which is like starting the computer from shut down position and not restarting from standby mode or hibernation mode. I bring this analogy because we behave in many ways like our computers. Life is not a hundred meter race but a marathon and we know how marathon runners approach the race.

I find starting the day slowly without rushing, helps build energy that can be sustained throughout most of the day.

Once awake, spending a few seconds reflecting on some good thoughts is very refreshing. Those with kids will find it satisfying to spend a few minutes with them. If not, spend a few minutes observing nature. In fact, now the urban areas have more birds than villages – listen to their songs and if you have a garden look at it, or you might have a plant growing in your balcony, see how it is growing. You do not need half an hour to do this, surely a few minutes can be spared for yourself.

Many drink water as they get up, which is supposed to be a very healthy habit. Most of us cannot start the day without our morning cup of tea. Try drinking the morning tea with total awareness about the whole process. You might have to wake up a few minutes early to start the day a bit slowly. And allow the things of the day take you on or you take them on as it comes. Rather than rushing early in the day and getting tired at the beginning of the day this approach is much more stable and steady. Try it and you will feel the difference.