When your alarm goes off each morning, you’ve got two options ahead of you.
Either you can hop out of bed, stretch out your body and make the best of the day, or you can hit the snooze button and pull the covers over your head.
While we all know that “waking up on the right side of the bed” can help us to feel empowered and motivated for the day ahead, it’s hard to start your day with a positive attitude sometimes. When thoughts of your to-do list start haunting you, and you’re still achy from last night’s workout, it’s tempting to try and avoid the world.
However, since starting your day on the right foot sets you up for a better chance of success in both your personal, and professional life, here are a few tips to help you get started.
Start Prepping the Night Before
If you always wake up feeling more exhausted than you did when you fell into bed the evening before, something’s got to change. A productive start to your morning begins when you get your evening schedule sorted.
Rather than getting home from work and binging Netflix for five hours straight, have a shower, eat a healthy meal, and go for a quick workout. By the time you’re ready for bed, your body will be ready for a rest, and your mind won’t be as wired from staring at a screen for so long. It’s worth making sure that you go to bed at the same time each night too, as this gives your body a schedule to get used to.
Wake up on Time
Those extra five minutes you get when you hit the snooze button on your alarm might seem like a good idea – but the truth is that they set you up for a morning of stress. When you finally drag yourself out of bed, you realize you only have five minutes left to get ready, have a shower, and get to work. Now, instead of leisurely allowing your mind to wake up, you have to scramble around in a state of panic.
When you finally make it out of the door and get to work, you’ll probably feel stress, stressed out and overwhelmed. There go the feelings of positivity you were looking for. Rather than taking the risk, simply try going to bed earlier and making sure you get up on time.
Build a Habit of Positive Thinking
If you’re constantly rushing to get things done throughout your day, there’s a good chance you’ll make mistakes from time to time. We all feel a little overwhelmed and self-conscious at times. The best way to make sure that those negative thoughts don’t bring you down is to develop a strategy for positive thinking.
When you wake up each morning, tell yourself a few nice things. For instance, you might remind yourself that you’re a kind generous person, or that you cook a fantastic lasagna. Whatever it is, remind yourself to be proud of your accomplishments, and don’t let your negative thoughts get the better of you. If it helps, you can even announce your compliments out loud as you look into a mirror.
Avoid Your Phone
Many of us have the unhealthy habit of looking at our phones the last thing before we go to sleep at night, then checking them again when we wake up each morning. We’re all so addicted to technology that it’s hard to stay disconnected. However, you don’t want to see your overloaded inbox first thing on a morning. Instead, ignore your phone for a while and set about doing things that will make you feel more positive about the day ahead.
Spend five minutes watching a show that makes you laugh, or simply sit in silence and think about the dreams you had last night. If it helps, you can always buy an old-fashioned alarm clock, so you can keep your phone downstairs at night, rather than bringing it to bed with you.
Grab a Cup of Coffee
After all those hours asleep, your body is sure to need some nourishment. Grab a glass of water to rehydrate yourself, then start making a cup of freshly-brewed coffee. Not only will your coffee give you the warmth and taste you need to feel refreshed and alert when you wake up, but it will also give you a great dose of antioxidants too.
You’d be surprised just how many benefits come with drinking a cup of coffee each morning. Studies have found that coffee drinkers often have a reduced risk of everything from cardiovascular disease, to type 2 diabetes, and even gout.
Fuel Up with a Healthy Breakfast
While you’re sipping on your coffee, make sure that you have a delicious breakfast to give you all the energy you need for the day ahead. There’s a reason why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives your body the carbohydrates and calories you need to get everything working properly again after you’ve been essentially shut down for eight hours.
Not only does a great breakfast help to boost your mood, but it should also assist with maintaining your weight too. Throw together a smoothie full of fresh fruits and vegetables or make yourself a fruit salad packed full of natural sweetness.
Mentally Organize Yourself
If you’ve got time on a morning, it can be helpful to organize your schedule and think about how you’re going to tackle the day ahead. However, beyond simply building a mental to-do list, you should also set some positive intentions for how you want to feel throughout the day. If you have a particularly difficult boss, tell yourself first-thing that you’re not going to let them get to you today.
If you’re worried about the way a meeting with a client is going to turn out, remind yourself that you’re an experienced professional, and you know how to keep your customers happy. This quick mental exercise can make you feel more prepared for the day ahead.
Refresh with a Cold Shower
Finally, if you’re going to do everything you can to feel your best throughout the day, then you might as well look your best too. Start with a luke-warm shower to open up your pores, then gradually turn the temperature down. Although the idea of a cold shower might not seem tempting when you first wake up, cold water has a great ability to snap you out of feelings of drowsiness.
In fact, it might surprise you to learn that cold showers can boost your mood and help with creative thinking too! Adding a little chill do your morning routine improves circulation, keeps you looking fresh, and prepares you for a great day.
Guest Blogger
Caroline is a positive and forward-thinking blogger who likes to share her insights on the world of health and wellness. When she’s not catching up with the latest case studies into mental fitness and spiritual wellbeing, she likes to relax with a good book and a cup of coffee.
