<img src="https://webhook.chc-webhook.uk/branded-images/ul_mu4w5dsm_a9fciw_CHENZO-0971.jpg" alt="The quiet kitchen before the noise begins" style="max-width:100%;border-radius:16px;"/>
You open your eyes at six in the morning and the first thing that hits you is not light. It is a list. Your brain is already running, grabbing for tasks, old arguments, things you forgot to do yesterday, and things you dread doing today. Before your feet even touch the cold floor, your chest is tight. You go to the kitchen, turn on the kettle, and stare at the wall. You are already behind. You haven't even had a sip of water yet, but you feel like you have been running for three hours.
Do you know that feeling when the day has not even started, but your energy is already gone?
That is the monkey mind. The demon in your head. It wants to capture your attention the second you wake up. It wants to drag you into the past or push you into the future, because that is where it lives. Your brain takes you to the past and the future. Your present brings you home. But right there in the quiet kitchen, you are miles away.
This happens because your nervous system wakes up in survival mode. The moment you open your eyes, your body releases a spike of cortisol to help you wake up. If you have been carrying a lot of stress, your mind misinterprets this natural physical spike as danger. It starts looking for things to worry about to justify that tight feeling in your chest. It creates a story to match the physical sensation.
Most people try to fix this by fighting it. They try positive affirmations while staring in the bathroom mirror. They tell themselves they are happy and calm, but their body knows it is a lie. The chest is still tight. Or they pick up the phone. They scroll through emails or social media at 6:15 AM, hoping to distract themselves from the quiet panic. It just adds more noise to the noise. You cannot think your way out of a tight chest.
What actually helps is a ten-minute check-in before you touch any screen or talk to anyone.
It starts the moment you sit on the edge of the bed. Do not get up yet. Put both feet flat on the floor. Feel the contact between your skin and the ground. This is your body. This is the here and now.
Next, you ask yourself one simple question: "How is my body feeling right now?"
You do not judge it. You do not try to change it. If your chest is tight, you just notice it. If your shoulders are up near your ears, you let them drop. You bring more consciousness, more respect, more love, more patience, more connection to the physical shell you live in.
Then, you address the noise. You look at the thoughts running through your head and you say, "The mind is not always your friend." You question the panic. Is there a real danger right now, in this bedroom, at 6:05 AM? No. The house is quiet. The morning is still. The fear is mind-made.
I worked with a man who came to me completely exhausted. He was a business owner, highly successful, but every morning he woke up with a feeling of dread so heavy he could barely breathe. He was ready to sell his company just to make the feeling stop. He thought he was broken.
We did not do months of therapy. Healing does not have to take long. And it does not require suffering. A lot of doctors and healers say months and years of bullshit. It is just not true.
I asked him, "When was the first time you felt this? As a child? What was the situation?"
He remembered waking up to his parents shouting downstairs when he was seven years old. Every morning back then, his body went into high alert to prepare for the chaos. He had carried that physical habit for thirty years.
We changed the story. We did it right there in the session, at the moment the pain came up. If you know how, it is flawless and easy. He realized he was no longer that helpless child. He was a grown man in a safe, quiet room. He learned to do this ten-minute check-in every morning, bringing his awareness back to his feet on the floor, back to the safety of the present. One and a half hours with me and people walk out feeling liberated. He did not need to sell his company. He just needed to find the key.
Your relationship with your body is more important than what you do to it. If you start your morning by ignoring your body and feeding your mind with stress, the rest of your day is already decided.
Tomorrow morning, when the alarm goes off, do not reach for the phone. Do not let the monkey mind take the wheel. Sit up. Put your feet on the floor. Give yourself those ten minutes of presence.
Which part of your morning routine is the hardest to change right now? Tell me in the comments.
Read the full guide on my blog at chenzoholisticcoaching.com/en/blog/small-shifts.
<h3>Listen to The Purpose Path Podcast</h3><div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UQMreB557H4" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:12px;" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
More episodes and free resources: <a href="https://www.chenzoholisticcoaching.com/en/the-purpose-path-podcast">The Purpose Path Podcast</a> and <a href="https://www.chenzoholisticcoaching.com">chenzoholisticcoaching.com</a>.
With love, Chenzo Holistic Coaching Founder of The Purpose Path Podcast

You open your eyes at six in the morning and the first thing that hits you is not light. It is a list. Your brain is already running, grabbing for tasks, old ar

The quiet kitchen before the noise begins

Read essays on somatic healing, emotional trauma, sensitivity, and finding purpose. Written by Chenzo, holistic coach, empathic healer, tarot reader, and founder of The Purpose Path Podcast. New posts weekly.


Chenzo Holistic Coaching Blog: Somatic Healing, Sensitivity & Purpose

Read essays on somatic healing, emotional trauma, sensitivity, and finding purpose. Written by Chenzo, holistic coach, empathic healer, tarot reader, and founder of The Purpose Path Podcast. New posts weekly.

Dutch

German

English

{"en":"☑️ I agree to the terms &amp; conditions and privacy policy."}

The quiet kitchen before the noise begins

The quiet kitchen before the noise begins

Related Posts

EP04 Tom Snow on The God That Stopped Hiding

EP03 Sandeep Gandhi on Your Highest Potential

caption not found)

caption not found)

caption not found)