I gave up drinking on February 8th 2021. And started a new daily routine February 9th 2021. My routine consists of the following simple elements, which I do every single day without fail: hot water with lemon, 10 minutes of ‘affirmation’ mediation, 20 full body push ups. I credit this daily ritual with my success in giving up alcohol and staying alcohol free – and here’s why:
- it kick starts the day, focusing in on your mission and your wellbeing.
- it give your inners a cleanse daily with hot water and lemon juice. What a combination! Like bleach down a toilet!
- it puts willpower in the bank for later on in the day, when everything has just gotten too much and you’re dying for a drink.
Once you have found a comfy spot to sit, and you have your hot drink ready, sit easy and sip slowly. Use an app such as ThinkUp and set yourself up with some positive affirmations that will help you keep going on your journey. You can change them up from time-to-time but always include at least one message about being alcohol-free. The free version of ThinkUp allows you to record three affirmations. Mine are about how awesome life is without alcohol, how I am becoming a kinder mother and how I am present for my family. Repeating these messages on a loop every single morning is incredibly easy and incredibly grounding as you focus on yourself and your mission to self-improvement and an alcohol-free life. The app also prompts me at 5pm to spend 5 mins listening to my affirmations – wow, what a way to use technology to help you keep on keeping on.
Affirmation Ideas:
- I will not drink today
- I will keep my cool today
- I will be kind today
- Quitting alcohol is easy
- I will be present today
- I will be good to myself today
- I will be present for my kids today
- Life without alcohol rocks!
- Focusing on myself is so valuable and rewarding
The simplicity and consistency of this daily ritual are what make it brilliant, but also daunting. Perhaps, like me, you are cynical or can’t quite be bothered with all this bollocks. You might think all of this is blah blah hippy meditation stuff that eats into sleeping time and isn’t necessary. The thing is, even for the negative nellies out there, this daily routine is the key to your uprising. So push down that cynic inside of you and try and invest in this daily practice. What’s more, tap into your support network, your family and friends, so that they too understand and enable this important new daily ritual. It’s just ten precious, life-saving minutes after all.
Hot Water with Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- Half a fresh lemon (squeezed with pulp)
- Boiling hot water
- Good quality mug
- Very comfy seat
- Space to do push ups
Instructions
+ Boil fresh water. Pour water into a fantastic mug (one with a jolly quote or these wonderful double-walled glass mugs from Zwilling Henckels).
+ Squeeze lemon via good quality juicer and include a little of the pulp. If needed, add one small ice cube so you can sip straight away.
+ Sit comfortably, sip your drink and listen to your guided meditation/affirmations. Try to keep your mind clear and focus simply on simply breathing and listening.
+ As you listen and sip your hot drink, blow on it to cool it. Slow your breath as you sip and swallow, your hands wrapped around your warm mug.
+ As you sip and breathe, remember why you are here… that this time is worth the investment in order to stay alcohol-free and put willpower in the bank for later.
+ When you’re finished with your drink, wrap it all up by dropping and giving it twenty. Twenty full-body or assisted push-ups will give you an energy boost and keep your upper-body strength up.
+ Finish up, stand up and head towards your first cup of coffee of the day, well done you.