“Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.” ~ Dion Fortune

I woke up feeling miserable this morning.

There wasn’t a particular reason for it, but I just was not feeling up for the day ahead. It happens sometimes. Often it has to do with unpleasant dreams that still linger on like a bad aftertaste and prevent me from starting the day with enthusiasm and joy.

Having decided some time ago to no longer be a victim of my moods and thoughts, I decided to take responsibility and come up with some ideas that may help transform my state of mind into a more positive one.

1. Tell yourself that you love yourself.

As I had to go to the bathroom anyway, I thought I might as well use the time in front of the mirror to gaze into my own eyes and tell myself: “You are beautiful and I love you.”

The first time I said it, it didn’t feel like I meant it, so I kept saying it until my eyes smilingly conveyed the message. I believed it. It’s an amazingly quick, as well as powerful exercise. There’s nothing quite like looking into your own loving eyes.

2. Take an energy shower.

Again, as I had to wash myself anyway, I thought I might as well use the time under the shower to visualize washing off all that remaining negative energy that was still clinging on to me from the dream world. I felt myself being cleansed by the water and filled with positive energy.

3. Generate gratitude.

I have adopted the habit of writing “Morning Pages,” an exercise from the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It basically entails filing three pages in a notebook every morning with whatever comes to mind.

Today I used the exercise to focus my mind on gratitude and appreciation. I ended up writing an essay about how amazing it is to just be alive. I was buzzing with positive energy by the end of it.

I like to keep it simple when I generate gratitude. I truly believe that being alive is the biggest gift of all, but you can use whatever works for you. We all have things to be grateful for and things we can appreciate. It’s a fact that feelings of joy and gratitude can’t exist in your mind at the same time as defeatist thoughts or feelings of sadness. It works a treat.

4. Meditate.

Having psyched myself up in this way already, I was really looking forward to my daily meditation session rather than considering it a chore to be ticked off a To Do list.

Meditation really helped me re-center myself, so when I finished it I felt balanced, calm and strengthened from within. I was reminded again, that I am not my feelings and thoughts. They are merely passing visitors, like clouds in the sky. No need to cling on to them.

5. Open your heart to others.

I reminded myself that I am not the only person in the world who woke up feeling “below par” this morning. Loads of people probably felt exactly the same and might still be feeling that way.

Thinking in this way stopped me from seeing myself as separate from other people and helped me remember how similar we all are in our wish to be happy, as well as our desire to avoid suffering.

I consciously decided to try and really meet other people today, to look into their eyes and recognize our shared humanity, to be present when I am with them and to speak from my heart. Consequently, I only had very pleasant and positive interactions with people today.

6. Go on a kindness mission.

You can take this one step further and consciously set out to be the reason someone smiles today. Be kind, pay it forward and not only will you make someone else happy but you will also feel better for it.

I decided to call a friend today who was feeling a bit down last time I spoke to her. She felt a lot better today and we both felt great after a good old natter.

When I opened my eyes this morning, I dreaded the day ahead. Now, I look back and think that I had a really nice day.

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 Assistant Editor: Jes Wright / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo Credit: Dushyant Nagpal/Pixoto