In an effort to bake a little more calmness into my day, my new year’s resolution is…
… to snuggle my dogs before reaching for my phone in the morning.
I know. It sounds so simple it’s almost infuriating. We’re all aware that our weird, toxic attachment to our phones is terrible for our mental health. And yet, I find my eyes snapping open and getting stuck on a screen before I even get out of bed. Truly awful.
Looking at our phones first thing is like inviting everybody we know (and even more whom we don’t) to come barging into our room blasting all of their thoughts, feelings and opinions before we’ve even had a slurp of coffee. It’s impossible not to be impacted by that onslaught of hyper-intense energy, which in turn impacts our mood, which impacts our day, which impacts our productivity and our cultivation of personal joy. And not to get too dramatic or anything, but that chain reaction ultimately alters our life experience.
Well, no more! I’m making a move to improve my morning.
My intention is to wake up, have a delicious stretch in bed and then roll over to find the two small woolly dogs who will inevitably be curled up near the small of my back and in the crook of my legs. I’ll take a moment to watch their delicate paws and noses twitch in their sleep, and give thanks for the breath moving in and out of their warm snoozy bodies. I’ll gently stroke their ears and whisper “Good morning.” Their tails will start beating against the covers and in a flash they’ll be awake, showering me with their insatiable excitement.
I’ll laugh as I fend off sloppy kisses and morning zoomies. In that moment, these two little souls will have filled me up with more genuine happiness than scrolling through the lives of a hundred people ever could.
And who knows, if I can stick with it, maybe my stretch resolution becomes to have a snuggle, a walk and a play with my dogs before remembering, “Oh yeah, I should check my notifications.”
What resolutions have you made for the new year?