It would be this:

Give yourself some time in the morning.

Some time to yourself.

Some time where it's quiet. Or alternatively, time where your space is filled with sounds you enjoy. Sounds that make you feel good, whatever that looks like for you specifically. Music from high school, the sound of waves crashing upon the shore, om mani padme hum chants, brown noise, binaural beats for confidence, or love, or abundance, or whatever speaks to you.

Not sure what works for you? Try each one! One by one! See what sticks. You'll find the ones that speak to you more rewardingly than others. You've just got to keep opening new doors.

But by golly, give yourself some time to compose yourself in the morning. To just sit (or stand, or walk in solitude, or whatever works for you) and not think about anything in particular. To simply allow yourself to truly feel that everything is okay.

When your workday/schoolday begins and you go out into the world, there will be tons of little moments that will threaten to erode that feeling of well-being. They'll challenge that feeling that everything is okay the way things are. If you're a high achiever, you are at more risk than anyone. You will battle these erosions early and often throughout the day.

Each one will be small, but over time they will add up.

This is where, for me, morning solitude provides so many essential benefits:

• Practice feeling exactly how you want to feel. It helps you stay that way longer throughout the day. If you're like me and face challenges giving yourself love, I cannot overstate the importance of this. You need to practice feeling good, feeling okay, feeling the way you want to feel. The morning is the time to do this. Your day will become better. It will be easier to return to this state of okay-ness.

• Shake off any gook from the previous day. If you tend to ruminate like I do, you'll hold onto things for longer than you need to after they happen. "Why did he respond so emotionally that way? Why did I respond so emotionally during that exchange? What do I need to learn from this?" Et cetera, et cetera, and on and on and on. It's very healthy to do this, but it's very unhealthy to overdo it. If you give conscious attention to your breath, allowing yourself simply to breathe in and out, you will feel calmer and more refreshed. You will see your day with fresher eyes and notice new opportunities. Something about the morning catalyzes the process of resetting and wiping the slate clean.

• Set the tone for the rest of your life. This sounds overly dramatic to the point of fortune-cookie schmaltz, but I just can't in good conscience leave it out. It is simply true. Your morning largely dictates how your day will go. Your day dictates how your week and month will go. And on and on. It's the beauty of one of life's wonderful paradoxes. Each day is incredibly vital, and yet no matter what happens, you can overcome it. There's always a new day. Your rate of progression is up to you. Your morning can serve as the lighter fluid to the flame of your life. (Didn't I promise fortune-cookie schmaltz?)

For the good of yourself, your family, and all humankind, give yourself a break in the mornings. Take some time to yourself, and know that you are okay. That life's okay. And the better you feel about now, the better you'll be tomorrow.