The Mindful Migraine

In 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven, gave the formal address to graduating students at the University of Austin in Texas.  As a highly decorated Navy Seal it was perhaps no surprise that he advocated the importance of discipline and determination.  What was a little more surprising was how he advocated that the smallest of actions can lead to life-long success.

“Make your bed” was the first of ten tips he gave students, and it went on to become the catch phrase of the entire speech.

Making your bed first thing in the morning is an affirmation that you can make a difference in your life; little achievements count, accumulate and lead to big changes. As the admiral said:

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day.  It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.  By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.  Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.  If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.  And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

My personal relationship with bed-making has changed over the years.  As a young person still living at home, I would roll out of bed, my blankets and I akimbo, and low and behold, as if by magic, each night when I returned, my bed was pristinely made.  When I moved out of home aged 19, the magic didn’t follow me.  I would roll out of bed, my blankets and I akimbo, and when I returned there was a messy-nest waiting for me.  There was something quite comforting about the me-shaped hole in the blankets. On the other hand, I realized it was embarrassing if anyone came to visit.  In a small room there’s usually nowhere else to sit but on the end of someone’s bed, and who wants to sit on top of rolled-up sheets?  Ughk.  It took a bit of growing up, but by the time I was a university graduate, I made my bed every morning. 

Returning to a ready-made bed each night is incredibly relaxing.  There’s a hotel-esque feeling about arriving to a bed piled high with pretty pillows and cushions of different shapes and sizes and a throw rug draped across the end.  (There are days however, when I wonder how one bed could have accumulated nearly a dozen pillows – it’s as if they breed in the dark!@#?).

As a chronic pain person, I spend a lot of time in bed.  The kid-version of me is always tempted to leave it alone when I get up; I’ll be back soon enough after all.  But I resist the urge.  I always make my bed, even if I’m just getting up to shower and then return.  Admittedly, I might not go all out, returning all the cushions and throw rugs which were set aside, but I straighten the pillows and blankets so that it looks neat and tidy.

As best you can, I highly recommend that you make your bed each time you leave it, even on the days you’re likely to return to it soon.  Establish the habit and stick to it.  Because, as the admiral says; “a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

Rest well, Linda.

PS: The whole speech goes for about 20 minutes and is an inspirational reminder on how to pick yourself up when things are hard – you can watch it here: Admiral McRaven addresses the University of Texas at Austin Class of 2014 (youtube.com)

Alternatively, you can read the transcript on the Atomic Habits website: “Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven speech transcript (jamesclear.com)

And there’s a neat little infographic of the ten steps here: Admiral McRaven 10 rules for life – Best Graduation Speeches