Start your day happy: part 2
How we start our day can influence the way each day of our life pans out. Having a good morning, after having a sufficient and replenishing night’s sleep, can majorly impact our mood and set ourselves up for a great day!
Head back to ‘Start your day happy: part 1′ to find out how to achieve a blissful sleep, and learn how important sleep is to feeling good the next day!
In the morning…
WAKE UP IN THE REAL WORLD
Most of us are guilty of waking up and reaching for our phones first thing in the morning. This seemingly harmless activity, can result in getting sucked into a fast-flowing stream of thoughts, arising from the bombardment of information in our hands!
Whether it’s replying to emails or scrolling through the socials, this little activity can start our day on the wrong tracks- leading down a road of potential stress, stagnation, negativity, anxiety and comparison.
By simply choosing to get out of bed after the alarm goes off, and focusing on our basic morning needs, we can start our day off on our own terms, instead of letting notifications determine how we feel. We then have the capability to have a peaceful and mindful headspace to carry with us throughout the day!
GO OUTSIDE
Getting some fresh air in the morning, whether it’s opening a window or stepping outside, can help us to wake up happy. Fresh air cools our bodies down and gives our brain the burst of oxygen that it needs to get going in the morning! More oxygen means more serotonin – the chemical in our brain that makes us feel happy, calm, and relaxed.
As well as this, going outside in the morning can help us sleep better at night (and consequently wake up easier in the mornings), because our bodies become healthier from being outside. Reduction of stress anxiety and depression have all been linked to spending time outside.
Things to do outside in the morning:
- Exercise
- Read a book
- Plan your day
- Watch the world go by with a tea or coffee
- Eat breakfast
- Go for a mindful walk
- Listen to a podcast
MINDFULNESS
Practicing mindfulness in the morning helps to clear the mind and focus on reality unfolding before us. By carrying out mindfulness techniques such as mindful breathing and noticing the senses, we take our awareness outside of our racing thoughts and into the present moment.
These techniques are used to train ourselves to use mindfulness throughout the day. Practicing mindfulness in the morning can therefore be seen as somewhat of a mindful-warmup for the day ahead! By practicing mindfulness, not only are we in a state of presence, focus, peace and clarity, but we are able to appreciate the little things in life and find that happiness surrounds us everywhere we go.
Easy mindfulness:
- light incense and candles and bathe in their calming affects
- pay attention to your senses
- feel your breath
- listen to an inspiring podcast
- meditate
- go for a mindful walk without headphones in, whilst remaining present to what is going on around you (and not getting lost in thought)
- set an intention for the day (how you intend to feel and be, rather than something that you want to do; e.g. “I intend to be focused and energised today”.
SELF-CARE BATHROOM CLEANSE
By creating a fun, relaxing or luxurious bathroom routine in the morning, the day begins with an extra layer of zest. By transforming a quick shower and brushing your teeth into an experience of its own, we can understand that joy can be found in even the simplest moments.
Aromatherapy
When you step into the bathroom, light some incense and / or scented candles, to bring a peaceful aroma into the room. Mixed with the steam from the warm water, this becomes a heavenly concoction of scents and smells that will bring clarity to your mind and body.
After you have cleansed yourself, light a palo santo stick and waft the smoke around your body. This is an aromatherapy technique that can be used to relieve stress and purify the air, inviting space for positive energy.
Fill your bathroom with as many plants as it can hold, because not only does it improve the decor in an instant, making your bathroom a more pleasant place to be, but it also improves the air quality.
Intentions
Set an intention for your day as you cleanse yourself. How do you want to feel and be today? E.g. ‘I intend to feel happiness and confidence within myself today.’ Or ‘today I show my gratitude to those around me’ or ‘I will be generous and kind to my family’ etc.
Music
Set the mood for your day by bringing a portable speaker into the bathroom and listening to some music. Whether it’s calming spa music that eases you into the day, or cheesy pop music from your youth that makes you sing your little heart out, listening to music in the shower can give you that little bit of a boost in energy for the day ahead!
Bathroom products
Do whatever you want to do for your body. Take care of it with moisturisers, serums and all of your favourite beauty products. Try swapping to zero waste and cruelty free products to help change the world from your bathroom.
EXERCISE
Exercising in the morning can be a wonderful tool to start the day on the right tracks. By moving our bodies for even 10 minutes, we release endorphins which gives us a feeling of euphoria and well-being.
As well as this, comes the sense of achievement in completing a workout and moving closer towards a goal. So no matter what is on the to-do list for the day, you’ve already achieved something great!
This is a great opportunity to get outside first thing in the morning- no matter the weather! This means a double whammy of the happy chemicals of endorphins, as well as serotonin in your brain!!
Choosing an exercise routine to suit you can be based upon what you wish to achieve, how much time you have and what your body can hack first thing in the morning!
Best exercises to do in the morning:
- Run or walk – boosts metabolism and burns fat.
- Push-ups – strengthens chest, shoulders, triceps, and forearms. Demonstrates general fitness level.
- Squats- burns calories fast, boosts metabolism and improves mobility.
- Plank – builds core strength and improves posture
- Star jumps – cardiovascular activity that will heighten energy levels in just 30-60 seconds.
- yoga- blood flows to muscles, stretches and wakes up the body, improves mobility and achieves tranquility.
BREAKFAST
It doesn’t matter if you are someone who wakes up and instantly craves a full-English, or someone who will quickly grab a banana on the way out the door…Starting the body’s metabolism in the form or food or drink, nudges the body to wake itself up!
Water
Drinking water as soon as you wake up is one way for your body’s processes to start functioning, as it hydrates the cells and starts up the digestive system. So if the thought of eating makes you feel a bit queasy, this little step could be perfect for you!
Caffeine
If you need a bit of a kick to help you start the morning, caffeine can be the way forward!
- Coffee gives a good hit of alertness, but just be aware that coffee is a fast release energy, and you may have a crash a few hours later
- Tea gives a gradual release of energy, so you are less likely to feel energised quickly, but you will feel energised for longer and without the crash you get from coffee.
- Try to avoid sugary energy drinks, as they can dehydrate the body and give you a sugar crash as well as a caffeine crash. This can cause sleepiness, irritability, headaches, and confusion.
Listen to your body
If you decide to have breakfast, understand what your body needs to eat.
– If you aren’t too hungry, have a high-fibre breakfast such as cereal or yogurt with fruit.
– If you are hungry, or you require lots of energy for the day, have a high-protein breakfast to keep you going – such as porridge, peanut butter on toast, or scrambled tofu! (Food recipes to come…)
Vitamins
After finishing food, this is the best time to take your vitamins so they can work alongside the nutrients you have just consumed.
In most diets, we don’t often obtain the right number of vitamins and minerals which play countless, important roles in our bodies. By taking a supplement which we feel we may be lacking e.g. iron, B12, magnesium etc., we are able to notice a difference in energy and mood!
TIDY
By keeping the spaces that we spend time in each day, tidy and clutter-free, we can achieve a sense of calmness, clarity and focus without any distractions.
This can be done by having a 10 minute sweep around in the morning, to put things in the right place, throw rubbish away and clean some surfaces. You’ll be surprised at the the difference that a little tidy will make you feel!
If you are carrying out work in an area, it is important to keep it clean and tidy so that ideas and productivity can flow without the stress of losing something, (whether it be a creative thought, or your memory stick) amongst the clutter!
Easy things to do in the morning for a tidy space and tidy mind:
- Make bed
- Put things back where they belong
- Throw away rubbish
- Wipe surfaces
- Sweep floor
- Declutter / minimise items you own
REFLECT
Spending a little bit of time in the morning to check in on ourselves can be a wonderful way to feel happy throughout the day!
Gratitude
Give thanks for your blessings and be grateful for all the good things in your life, whether it be your health, your friends, the clean water you have access to, or the sunshine in the sky. Life is filled with so many wonderful things that we often take for granted, and by simply appreciating these things we become more positive, optimistic, friendly and open to life.
Journaling
Journaling in the morning can be a great tool to discover your dreams, goals and how you can reach them. I find that writing on pen and paper, really helps to get away from the online world and promotes focus, however journaling can even be done on your notes of your phone!
- What do you WANT in life?
- What would you LOVE to do today? (instead of what do you ‘need’ to do)
- What are you grateful for?
- Set an intention for the day
- How are you feeling this morning?
- How do you want to feel?
Affirmations
Say some affirmations to yourself to remind yourself just how amazing you are!
To conclude Part 2…
There are many things we can do in the morning to kickstart our day and carry positive energy around with us throughout our lives. By waking up in the real world, creating fun experiences, utilizing nutrients, getting fresh air, and taking time for some introspection, we can start the day feeling happy.
- Wake up without going on your phone
- Get some fresh air to wake up the mind and release serotonin
- Do some exercise to wake up the body and release endorphins
- Start your metabolism by drinking or eating
- Practice mindfulness to become present
- Tidy the spaces around you to calm and focus the mind
- Create an enjoyable bathroom experience through aromatherapy and music
- Reflect on yourself, practice gratitude, journal, and repeat affirmations to build confidence and self-worth
