This Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
Perhaps a typical morning.
Sometimes the thought of getting out of bed and facing the day can be so overwhelming that it actually paralyses you and prevents you from getting up. Staying in bed with your eyes shut means the day hasn’t actually started yet and you are safe under the covers. If only it could last.
At this point you have already started the day with tremendous overwhelm. At some point once you’ve dragged yourself out of bed and made it downstairs, you might then get a coffee to wake you up. The caffeine in the coffee achieves the goal and you now feel overwhelmed, anxious and a bit jittery. Maybe at this point you don’t have time for breakfast because you took a while to get up, or maybe your tummy just can’t face food yet due to the anxiety it’s experiencing.
You are now running on stress hormones. This affects blood sugar balance and leads to burn out. You are likely to make unhealthy food choices through the day due to feeling tired and then needing a processed, sugary fix to give you a boost of energy, which won’t last and will result in you feeling tired again and needing another.
Let’s change this unrewarding pattern. It does not serve you. It won’t make you feel good.
Get your spark back
Try these tips tomorrow and see what a difference they make:
1) Separate getting out of bed from the rest of the day. Disconnect the two things.
Make getting out of bed the start of something nice that is just for you. This could be any of the following:
Read your favourite book
Journal - This can help organise thoughts, set goals, show gratitude and can help put you in a positive mindset for the day.
Practice yoga - This is one of the most wonderful ways to start the day because it not only makes you feel great after, but it is a calming and mindful form of stretching which helps reduce anxiety and overwhelm and helps to reduce any aches and pains from the night before. It’s like giving your mind and body a big morning hug. Just 5 mins a day can make a big difference.
Get natural light on your face - This could mean a little walk round the block, a walk round the garden, or simply sticking your head out of a window. The direct light on your face helps to regulate your hormones for the day, as our internal body clock, known as our circadian rhythm, is directly affected by night-time darkness and daylight.
If you’re thinking that you don’t have time for any of these things, all of these can take the same amount of time as one snooze button hit. It’s the choice you make. You could also set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier than usual. Those 10 minutes could make a huge effect on the rest of your day.
Once you’ve done something nice for yourself, your next step is to re-hydrate from the night and nourish yourself with breakfast. Here are some nourishing breakfast ideas:
Porridge with banana and your favourite milk, topped with pumpkin seeds and cinnamon, with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
Toasted sourdough topped with avocado and eggs.
Cultured yoghurt of your choice topped with organic berries and your favourite nut butter.
You’ve got this! X