Want a happier workday? The way you start it out makes a huge difference. Here are some-thing-in-the-morning activities that will elevate your mood for the entire eight (or however many) hours to come. Most take no more than a couple of minutes. A few take a bit longer, but the rewards are well worth it. Try adding any or all of these to your morning routine. They're guaranteed to improve your mood:
Drink at least one glass of water
The benefits of drinking water are well known. While the popular claim that drinking four glasses of water first thing in the morning can cure everything from heart attacks to diabetes has been debunked, it's still true that many of us aren't getting as much water as our bodies could use. To take the benefits a step further, drink it warm and/or add little lemon juice. This will both make you more alert and give you better PH balance.
Exercise for 20 minutes
It doesn't have to be vigorous exercise--a brisk walk is just fine. Exercise has been demonstrated to provide a mood elevating effect that lasts for several hours. That effect can make you feel better through your whole workday.
Write some pages
This could be in a journal, but it doesn't have to be. One smart approach that will also help you tap your intuition and creativity is to keep a journal by your bed and spend a few minutes writing in it before you get up each morning. You're likeliest to remember your dreams then, and dreams can provide valuable insights for your work and home life. Another approach is to spend a few minutes at your desk writing before you start on work. Either way, a little time writing with no rules will likely help you to think through whatever challenges you're facing. It's almost guaranteed to improve your outlook and sense of control.
Meditate for five minutes
If that's too much, meditate for one minute. Meditation teachers say that consistency matters more than the length of time you spend meditating, so if you can fit any amount at all into your routine so that you do it every day, you'll be way ahead of the game. I don't need to tell you that meditation improves brain cell health, cognition, and mood, and may even slow the aging process. If you don't know how to meditate, getting started is as simple as this: Sit comfortably in a chair or on a cushion, close or half-close your eyes, pay attention to your breathing, and otherwise clear your mind. If thoughts, sounds, or distractions come up, notice them, and then let them go. And if your breath isn't enough to focus on, use a simple mantra such as "I" on the inhale and "am" on the exhale. (I use "just" on the inhale and "this" on the exhale.)
Eat something
Not a breakfast person? Eat something anyway. It doesn't have to be much, but the physiological fact is that we humans evolved to experience hunger as stress. So get a little something, preferably a little protein, into your body before you begin your workday. You'll be calmer and less prone to overreacting to small annoyances. And less likely to grab for a mid-morning pastry as well.
Plan your day
Depending on the nature of your business and your job, you may have much of your day laid out for you already. But chances are you also have a to-do list, that is impossibly long. You can impose reality on your day with a simple process: Honestly estimating how long each task will take, and then put those tasks into your schedule. When you run out of day, you're done. If you absolutely need to add something, you'll have to subtract something else. The Pomodoro Technique (which breaks your work time into 25 minute "pomodoros" followed by 5-minute breaks) is an especially helpful approach to planning your time. Once you've estimated how many 25-minute blocks you need to accomplish your tasks, you can fit them in to your available time throughout the day. It will also give you a record of how long each task took last time you did it.
Spend five minutes socializing
Sleep, even if you share your bed, is an inherently solitary activity. So to start your day, reconnect with your fellow humans by having at least a couple of minutes' conversation with someone you enjoy--your spouse, your children, your office friend, or even a favorite barista. It will put a smile on your face that may stay there until quitting time.
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