Start Your Day in a Positive Way

Start Your Day in a Positive Way ~

You might not realize it, but how you start your day matters. Your first thoughts, the first words you speak, the first things that you do, all contribute to how your day will go.

Think about what your first thoughts are when you wake up in the morning. Do you grumble about not wanting to get up, wishing you could sleep a bit longer?

Think about the first things that you do after waking up. Perhaps you roll out of bed at the very last minute and go straight to your computer or reach for your phone.

Your first thoughts and actions can help you have a positive day where you experience calm throughout, OR they can contribute to a day of overwhelm, anxiousness, and exhaustion.

Tips To Start Your Day in a Positive Way:

Begin with Thank You ~

Let your very first thought in the morning be, Thank You. Even better, speak the words out loud. Feel and express gratitude for another beautiful day that you've been given. You woke up this morning. You're being gifted another day to live. We so often take this for granted, just assuming we're going to wake up each morning. We so often forget to be grateful for life. Gratitude is a powerful emotion, that when felt, can literally change your life. Beginning your day with this powerful emotion not only helps you feel good first thing, it also helps the body to feel at ease. For more on the power of gratitude, click here.

Breathe Deeply ~

I say all the time that your breath is your super power. It really is. Your breath greatly influences the way your body feels. Beginning your day with 3 - 5 deep belly breaths where the exhale is long and intentional, will help activate the parasympathetic nervous system. When this is activated, the body feels calm and at ease. It's the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system, which is what is activated for most people most of the time. This is the fight/flight/freeze response system. You know the sympathetic has been activated when you feel frantic, impatient, irritated, frustrated, fearful, frazzled, or overwhelmed. If you want to have more patience throughout the day, feel calm, at ease, have a clear mind with no difficulty focusing on tasks, you want the parasympathetic nervous system activated. And one of the ways you activate this is through deep intentional breathing. This type of breathing helps to signal calm in your mind and body. For more on this topic, click here.

Movement ~

Get your body moving first thing in the morning. I can't emphasize enough how important this one is. Do some yoga, go for a walk or run, dance, whatever feels good for you. Both your mind and body benefit significantly when you incorporate physical movement in your day. Starting your day with movement will set you up for having a better day because it helps get your blood flowing and release feel good hormones first thing. When endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine (feel good hormones) are released in your body, you feel more positive and have more energy. For suggestions on moving your body more, click here.

Music ~

Studies show that music greatly influences the way we feel. So if you want to feel energized and start your day in a positive way, listen to uplifting music in the morning as you get ready for the day.

Alone Time ~

Time alone first thing in the morning is so important. I know many of you are beginning your day giving yourself to others or giving your energy to doing tasks. Think about that for a moment. You get out of bed and right away, first thing, you start giving and doing. That's draining. Starting your day like this means you're depleting yourself before all the demands of the day have even begun. Giving yourself some alone time first thing will help to fill you up before you have to give to the demands of the day. That means, you'll have more to give throughout the day. Even giving yourself 10 - 15 min to journal, meditate, or read, can have a huge impact on how you'll feel as you move through the day.

For on the benefits of journaling, click here.

To learn more about meditation, click here.

Hydrate Yourself ~

Start your day off with a tall glass of room temperature water and infuse it with a squeeze of fresh lemon if you'd like as well. The majority of people are chronically dehydrated and don't even realize it! Water is the body’s most important nutrient. Staying hydrated benefits us in so many ways. It helps to rid the body of toxins, helps to boost our metabolism and immune system, is fantastic for our skin, increases our energy and ability to focus, think clearly, and make decisions, and helps to maintain regularity. These are only a few of the many benefits. The very first thing you want to be consuming each and every single day is water. Are you Dehydrated? Learn more here.

Now, you're probably wondering how you're going to have the time to do these things every morning. It's really simple. Get up earlier. In know there's a part of you resisting this idea, so hear me out. Getting up at least 30 min earlier than you have to gives you the time you need to start your day in a positive way. Here's a few tips for success:

First ~

Make a mental shift in how you think about this time. Think of this time as sacred time that you're giving to yourself each day to help fill yourself up. Rather than moan and groan at the idea of not being able to sleep longer. This is time you're gifting to yourself each day.

Second ~

Consider the words you use when talking about it. Getting up one hour earlier, sounds like a chore. Rising up one hour earlier, sounds much easier and actually doable. Play around with the words that you use and find words that sound and feel really good to you when talking about this.

Finally ~

Remember, you're doing this to help you yourself. This is how you set yourself up to having a more relaxed, enjoyable day where you can manage daily stressors more effectively. Giving yourself this time to bring calm to your mind and body first thing influences how you'll go through your day. And you might think that rising 30 min earlier is going to leave you feeling more tired throughout the day. Not true. What you'll find is that it will actually give you more energy as you move through the day.

To learn more about my morning ritual and why I cherish it so much, click here.

What positive things do you enjoy doing first thing in the morning? Leave a comment and let me know.

If you've enjoyed this blog, I'd greatly appreciate you sharing it so that others can benefit from reading it as well. Thank you.

Looking for more tips to help you live well? Check out Your Live Well Journey - The Podcast, every episode offers ways to help you improve your self-care.