Six Tips To Start Your Day Off Positively

Do you dread mornings? If you do, you’re not alone. One reason why you could be dreading mornings is that you start your day off on the wrong foot, creating stress and anxiety from the minute you get up. That can carry over to the rest of your day, which dramatically effects your mood and productivity.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Making small changes in your morning routine can help eliminate unpleasant feelings in the morning and put you in a more positive frame of mind. A new routine can even shift the way you feel about getting up in the morning—you may even look forward to it!

Setting the Tone and Tenor

Mornings set the tone and tenor for the rest of your day. For example, if the first thing you do when you wake up is to check emails and messages on your smartphone, there’s a good chance you’ll start your day feeling stressed. So while smartphones are great, they might not be the healthiest thing to reach for first thing in the morning.

So how do you start your day off feeling more centered and inspired? It’s easier than you may think. Just make one or more of the simple changes listed below to your morning routine. Doing so can help you start your day off in a more positive frame of mind.

• Set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier — Getting up a little earlier might not seem like a big deal, but it can work wonders on how you feel starting your day. An earlier start means you don’t have to rush around getting ready for work or a meeting. Instead, you can enjoy relaxing in bed for few minutes. Or, you can get up and do some light stretching to help you ease into the day. You won’t lose much sleep setting your alarm a little earlier, but you’ll gain a more positive frame of mind that will help set the tone for the day.

• Meditate for a few minutes — Meditating in the morning instead of listening to the morning news can also help you get off to a better start. If meditating isn’t your thing, try reading an inspirational quote from a self-help book or spiritual guide. Reading even a few lines a day can help. You can also recite a motivational poem, like Kipping’s “If”. It will help you start your day off more motivated and focused.

• Postpone decisions until later — To start your day off with less pressure, eliminate as many decisions as possible, such as what to eat, what to wear, and what road you’ll take to work, by taking care of them the night before. This creates precious time for more relaxing and enjoyable things, even if it’s just having time to linger over your morning coffee. Setting a routine as much as possible for your morning activities is also helpful. Your morning will run more smoothly, eliminating unnecessary stress.

• Spend some time just daydreaming — Spend a few minutes in the morning just letting your mind wander or listening to music. (Classical music is a good choice for this). When you allow for this type of relaxation in the morning, you create a pathway for more inspiring ideas to manifest. You can also take some time to set an intention and visualize how you want to feel to help you take more control over how your day plays out.

• Concentrate on one thing at a time — Trying to multi-task first thing in the morning spells trouble—especially if you’re not a morning person. It can make you feel scattered and exhausted before the day has barely started. Taking less off your plate in the morning (as we mentioned previously) and focusing on doing one thing at a time, will alieviate a lot of morning stress. If you have a lot on your plate such as getting your children off to school, you may find it helpful to create a checklist. Just remember to give yourself plenty of time to get everything done so you don’t feel rushed.

• Journaling — Journaling is a great way to ease into the start of your day. It offers you time to reflect, giving you the opportunity to explore your inner self so you can learn more about yourself. Journaling can also be very grounding. And you don’t have to write pages and pages to enjoy journaling’s benefits. Just listing a few things you feel grateful for, for example, can work wonders. This blog post gives you some practical tips on journaling effectively.

Trying one or more of our six tips can dramatically change how you feel in the morning. Not all of them may work for you, so find the ones that do and be open to discovering other ways to bring more inspiration into your morning.

Finding just one or two things for your new routine can make a big difference in how you view the morning. Instead of experiencing it as a time of stress, you’ll wake up feeling more happy, and relaxed and confident—feelings that will help you get off to a great start.

More important, filling your inner well with positive energy first thing in the day increases the chances that you’ll feel that way the rest of your day, and over time, your life!

Tell us below what you do to start your mornings off in a positive manner. We’d love to hear from you.