It is still dark as your morning alarm goes off. You open your blinds and the cold winter is waiting for you outside of the window. It is often hard to start your day in a positive manner when it is dark and depressing when you wake up. How can you make it more likely to be a good or even great day? I feel like what you do early in the morning often sets the tone for the rest of the day. Below are some simple tips that can help create both better mornings and days.
- Plan the night before - Jot down just 2 or 3 of the most important things you want to get done on a to-do list. By keeping the list short and sweet it becomes easier to actually get the most important things done instead of procrastinating with a longer to-do list.
- Prepare the night before - Reduce the stress and anxiety during your morning by getting the simple details out of the way the night before. Pack children’s lunches and bags for after school activities. Decide what outfits both you and your children want to wear the next day and have them laid out. Put your keys, purse, etc. where you normally keep them, if they are not already there, so you can quickly find and grab them before heading out the door.
- Go slow - When you start your day slow and keep doing things at a slow pace then it becomes easier to keep the stress that comes with being rushed and in a hurry away.
- Take time to eat breakfast - Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? According to studies, a good breakfast gives you more energy and gets you ready for your day. People who skip breakfast are often more irritable, restless, and tired.
Give these simple tips a try! You might be surprised by the change in your attitude and mood! Life happens and there will be days when you can’t always plan and prepare the night before, you may oversleep and have to skip breakfast and be rushed and stressed. No worries! Simply take a deep breath and try again tomorrow!
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
