Tired of waking up on the wrong side of the bed? Happiness experts say there are some simple habits that you can incorporate into your morning routine to positively influence your day. These easy tweaks could boost your mood all day long.
- Pick a wellness habit, then link it to part of your morning routine - Decide on a healthy habit you’d like to incorporate into your routine, like exercising or meditating, and attach it to something you already do every day, like making your bed. Psychiatrist Murray Zucker explains that by tacking the habit you want to cultivate onto something you’re used to doing, you’re much more likely to actually stick with it. And he points out that consistency really is the key to boosting happiness over time.
- Get your phone out of your room - Career and life coach Allison Task says this is a non-negotiable with her clients because starting the day by checking your phone - or tablet, or computer, or TV - first thing invites the outside world to dictate your happiness. Plus, not having screens by your bedside means they can’t mess with your sleep either.
- Talk to yourself - Zucker is a big fan of using self-talk to psych yourself up and he says saying your own name when you do it makes it more likely you’ll follow your advice and taking control over your own thoughts like that can “set you up for greater happiness” throughout the day.
- Reach out to somebody else - Make a social contact with a loved one, which can be as quick as a text or phone call, or meeting for coffee if you have more time. Even a short email or text to someone you care about can help boost your mood for the day, Zucker says.
- Incorporate gratitude - Research has shown that people who journaled about things they’re thankful for during the week scored much higher on measures of happiness than those who wrote down things they’d been irritated by. There are lots of ways to work gratitude into your morning routine, even something as simple as taking a minute to appreciate that you’re alive and naming one reason why can help put you into a better frame of mind all day.
Source: Huff Post