Hello Sunshine! How to Start Your Day Off the Right Way
It's easy to begin each morning with a spring in your step, as these easy-to-adopt home habits reveal
If greeting each day with a smile on your face and warmth in your heart sounds like an impossible dream, read on. These simple measures might give your morning just the lift it needs to set you on track for a happy and fulfilling day ahead. Be sure to read to the end for the most important tip of them all.
Take time to set your intentions
Find a spot in the sun – such as on a window seat, on a back step – and take a few minutes to stop, breathe and ready yourself for the day ahead – no matter what’s in store. This is also an ideal time to set your intentions for the day. What kind of day do you want to have? What type of person do you want to be today? If someone met you for the first time today, what would you like them to say about you? Setting intentions such as these encourages you to live more consciously and in the moment. Or, as I often say to myself: what you think about, you bring about.
Find a spot in the sun – such as on a window seat, on a back step – and take a few minutes to stop, breathe and ready yourself for the day ahead – no matter what’s in store. This is also an ideal time to set your intentions for the day. What kind of day do you want to have? What type of person do you want to be today? If someone met you for the first time today, what would you like them to say about you? Setting intentions such as these encourages you to live more consciously and in the moment. Or, as I often say to myself: what you think about, you bring about.
If you know you won’t have time to sit and think about how you want your day to unfold, a note to self could do the trick. This chalkboard one in the kitchen-dining area is hard to ignore.
More: Word Up: The Writing’s on the Wall
More: Word Up: The Writing’s on the Wall
Add colour and life to your home
Indoor plants cleanse the air, give you a little connection to nature, and add a feel-good element to your home. Waking to bright, happy colours can also mean your day starts on a more cheerful note, so inject colour aplenty through blooms, cushions, rugs and artwork.
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Indoor plants cleanse the air, give you a little connection to nature, and add a feel-good element to your home. Waking to bright, happy colours can also mean your day starts on a more cheerful note, so inject colour aplenty through blooms, cushions, rugs and artwork.
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Make your bathing ritual blissful
One of the best ways to inject some early morning colour into your life is in the bathroom. Even a bright new shower curtain can be enough to change the mood of this important room of the house.
One of the best ways to inject some early morning colour into your life is in the bathroom. Even a bright new shower curtain can be enough to change the mood of this important room of the house.
Choose soap, shampoo and other products for your bathroom solely on whether you love them or not. Forget the price, just this once, and go for what makes you happy. A luscious scent can mean the difference between a ho-hum shower and one that’s heavenly.
Give thanks
What are you grateful for? There’s no better time than when you’re having breakfast or getting ready for the day than to ponder on all the great things about your life.
What are you grateful for? There’s no better time than when you’re having breakfast or getting ready for the day than to ponder on all the great things about your life.
If you’re more a writer than a thinker, keep a gratitude journal and make it a habit to write down what you love about your life every day, whether it’s the first thing you do when you get up, during a pause after your shower, or the gift you give yourself when you’ve made the family breakfast and you have five minutes to yourself. The key to a happier life really is appreciating what you already have.
Give yourself flowers
Even the grumpiest of morning risers will get a lift out of a vase of beautiful fresh flowers on their bedside table. You may have picked or bought them yourself, but so what? What better scene to rest your eyes on when you first wake up than a little gift to yourself?
Even the grumpiest of morning risers will get a lift out of a vase of beautiful fresh flowers on their bedside table. You may have picked or bought them yourself, but so what? What better scene to rest your eyes on when you first wake up than a little gift to yourself?
Make the effort to exercise
Whether it’s just a few simple stretches or an hour-long work-out in front of the Wii, getting your heart pumping early will significantly boost your energy levels all day long.
Whether it’s just a few simple stretches or an hour-long work-out in front of the Wii, getting your heart pumping early will significantly boost your energy levels all day long.
Drink lots of water
Everyone knows drinking water rehydrates and refreshes us when we wake up, but we don’t always remember to do it. If you love your morning coffee, why not use it as a reward to be enjoyed once you’ve had the water? If you can consume the water at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon in it, you’ll feel more alert within minutes.
Everyone knows drinking water rehydrates and refreshes us when we wake up, but we don’t always remember to do it. If you love your morning coffee, why not use it as a reward to be enjoyed once you’ve had the water? If you can consume the water at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon in it, you’ll feel more alert within minutes.
Eat a protein-rich breakfast
A nutrient-dense, protein-focused first meal of the day will pave the way for healthier food choices all day. You won’t feel hungry soon after you walk out the door, so you’re far more likely to eat a lunch that’s better for you. It’s the same principle as never going to the supermarket when you’re really hungry.
A nutrient-dense, protein-focused first meal of the day will pave the way for healthier food choices all day. You won’t feel hungry soon after you walk out the door, so you’re far more likely to eat a lunch that’s better for you. It’s the same principle as never going to the supermarket when you’re really hungry.
Preselect an outfit
Set out your clothes the night before and that’s one less decision you’ll have to make when you’re still waking up the next morning. Think about what else you could do the night before to make your morning less rushed – make your lunch, maybe?
Set out your clothes the night before and that’s one less decision you’ll have to make when you’re still waking up the next morning. Think about what else you could do the night before to make your morning less rushed – make your lunch, maybe?
Hug your loved ones
If you only change one thing to get your day off to a better start, let it be this one – hug your partner or children long and with love before you head out the door. A quick hug or peck on the cheek isn’t the same – long hugs have been shown to not only communicate a whole lot of love, but also get those endorphins flowing in you and the people you love most … and that’s enough to make anyone’s day a little happier.
TELL US
What other ideas do you have about how to get your day off to a great start? Share them in the comments section.
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If you only change one thing to get your day off to a better start, let it be this one – hug your partner or children long and with love before you head out the door. A quick hug or peck on the cheek isn’t the same – long hugs have been shown to not only communicate a whole lot of love, but also get those endorphins flowing in you and the people you love most … and that’s enough to make anyone’s day a little happier.
TELL US
What other ideas do you have about how to get your day off to a great start? Share them in the comments section.
MORE ON HAPPINESS IN THE HOME
9 No-Fail Ways to Get Out of the Door Faster
Indulge in a Holiday Ambience at Home and Live Happily Ever After
15 Things to Do on Lazy Sunday Afternoons at Home
Allowing your body to tune in to the cycles of nature is a far gentler way to ease into the day than waking to the shock of an alarm in a darkened room. Having to drag yourself unwillingly out of a deep sleep or, worse still, an amazing dream, is no way to start the day. Partially close your blinds or curtains at night instead of closing them all the way so you can welcome the first rays of dawn. You might find you wake earlier, but that means extra time for an unhurried start to the day.