We all shower—and it’s one of the few times that we’re doing only one thing, making it an ideal opportunity to quiet our monkey minds, consciously create happy thoughts and express gratitude.

And feel happier every day.

That’s because when we shower, we aren’t on the phone, or the computer, or watching TV. We aren’t working and we’re not playing with our kids.

We’re simply standing under a stream of water with the goal of becoming clean.

But it’s not just our bodies that we can clean while we’re in the shower—we can also clean out our minds and our thoughts.

Instead of letting your mind wander aimlessly (as mine tends to do—what should I make for dinner tonight? Hmm...), you can consciously shape your thoughts to be more positive and mindful.

That’s exactly what I do every time I shower—and I’ve added two things to my shower routine to help me start off each day with peace, gratitude and joy.

Whether you’re a newbie to this inner peace thing or you’ve been walking the path for years, bringing mindfulness to your shower time is such an effective tool to feeling happier.

Here’s what we can do:

1. Say your “I ams.” As Wayne Dyer said, the words “I am” are some of the most powerful words in our language, for what comes next literally shapes our perceptions, our lives and our reality.

So if you’ve always believed thoughts like “I am dumb,” then I bet you didn’t get straight As in school. But if you’ve always thought “I am lucky,” l bet you’ve experienced plenty of fortuitous situations.

As soon as I get in the shower, I turn my thoughts to my standard “I ams”:

I am happy.
I am whole.
I am enough.
I am complete.
I am worthy.

(Don’t rush through these. Take a few deep breaths as you think them, to make sure they really sink in.)

I always start with these five “I am” statements because they are the foundation of my entire spiritual philosophy. You can’t do much healing of your emotional pain and suffering if you don’t think you’re inherently worthy.

Then, as I’m getting myself clean, I add more “I am” statements like:

I am healthy.
I am willing to change.
I am fulfilled.
I am wise.
I am forgiving.

Really, it’s about saying whatever you want to be feeling. It’s not about whether you already are feeling that way. That’s because you have to say it before you believe it.

So even if you’re hating on that family member who hurt you last month or feeling like death warmed over as you suffer from the flu, you insist—over and over and over—that you’re forgiving and healthy.

And soon enough you will be feeling what you’ve been telling yourself. Of course, some affirmations take longer than others to come to fruition, but they will come true if you’re consistent with your practice.

2. Express gratitude. After my “I am” statements, I move on to gratitude. I may be washing my hair, and I’ll think thoughts like “I’m grateful for my loving and supportive husband.”

And no worries if you can’t think of much that you’re grateful for. Start with something totally obvious, especially if you’re showering first thing in the morning—you know, pre-caffeine. You could say “I’m grateful for hot water” or “I’m grateful that I have a house to live in” or “I’m grateful it rained yesterday.”

My other gratitude affirmations sometimes go like this:

I’m grateful for the birds singing sweet songs outside my bedroom window.

I’m thankful to spend so much quality time with my daughter.

I’m grateful I can watch the sunrise and sunset over the ocean every day.

And so on…

It absolutely doesn’t matter what you’re grateful for. Just express gratitude for something.

When you combine positive “I am” statements with gratitude statements while in the shower, you end up with a clean body and a clean mind.

Now that’s a glorious way to start your day!

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Author: Dina Overland

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Billie/Unsplash