Morning Routines To Improve Your Mood
Let’s be real, mornings can be rough! But good news, there are some scientific steps we can take at the start of our day that are proven to improve our mood. Below are a few examples of those steps:
1. Set an Intention: Setting intentions is different than setting goals. It’s more meaningful and can be more motivating compared to goal-setting. Intentions give us a sense of purpose and direction in our daily life. Examples of intentions include: “I intend to see the goodness around me” or “I intend to be kind even when under pressure.”
2. Make your bed: We know the saying “a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind” and research shows that there’s some truth to this. Clutter can lead to anxiety and difficulties with focus and sleep. It can also make us less productive. So you might not have time to declutter and organize your room before work, but doing something small and non-time consuming such as making your bed can help your mind feel less cluttered and more ready to start your day.
3. Do something fun: Make time for yourself, do some self-care before diving into the obligations (and the not-so-fun) part of our day. Get some sun, water, oxygen, play with your dog, read, paint.
4. Meditate: You’ve probably heard about meditation before today. It’s true that 5-10-minute dedication to meditation or a mindfulness exercise a day can make a difference in your brain, improving mood and decreasing anxiety as a result. (Check out “Beginner’s Guide to Meditation” post for more information).
5. Postpone checking your phone or emails: This includes avoiding social media. Research has show a link between technology use and anxiety and depression. Technology use can lead us to be bombarded with news or stories that affect our mood. So limit the use of smartphones or computers as much as you can.
6. Stretches: Exercise releases endorphins (the happy neurotransmitter). You don’t need to do an intense workout to feel an improvement in mood. Sparing 5-min for some simple stretches to get the blood flow going will do.
7. Express gratitude: Part of positive psychology movement was the focus on positive qualities of life that makes it worth living. A great way to accomplish this is by reflecting on a moment someone did something that made you feel happy or grateful. You express gratitude either directly to someone or simply by writing it down on a piece of paper for you to keep in mind.
If you’ve tried these strategies and still find yourself feeling stress or overwhelmed, then that just might be your clue that it’s time to take a mental health day. And good news, there’s a separate blog posted dedicated to how to take an effective mental health day!
Cheers,
Dr. Jessica
