But how do you actually start the day right and why is it so important? If you’re the type of person that feels stress easily, or you have huge goals for yourself and you so badly want to achieve them, then you’re going to want to read this to learn how to achieve those goals with ease, AND how to reduce stress in the morning with ease.
You may find that your heart starts racing the moment you wake up, or you drag yourself out of bed after the 5th alarm and you dread the day from the get-go. Maybe you find yourself rushing and over-thinking about what the day will entail and all you can think about is getting back into bed at the end of the day. Firstly, it’s ok to feel like this, most of us rush through life like this because it’s kind of what’s expected… if we’re not always busy, we must SURELY be doing something wrong. Successful people recognise they don’t want to feel like this, and change what they do in the morning to increase their chances of succeeding and reduce stress easily.
The danger with starting the day like this is that it affects our health on so many levels. Physically we’ll start experiencing headaches, bloating, digestion issues, bad skin… the list is endless. Not only that, but we end up resenting our relationships, feeling a lack of motivation, self-doubt creeps in and we start forcing ourselves to be happy, we eat food for convenience and start putting weight on. Starting the day right is SUCH a powerful way to set our lives back on track and get things running smoothly and beautifully.
We CAN wake up with vitality and radiance, we CAN wake up with energy and excitement for the day, we CAN wake up with the self-confidence that we can reach our goals with ease and we CAN wake up with a smile on our face, ready to face our amazing new day. All it takes is a little guidance in the right direction, consistency and the openness to want it to happen – you’re here reading this because you have that… so let’s get going!
First things first, a happy and strong start to the day comes from the mind. Successful people train their brain to focus on the positive. Grab yourself a piece of paper or a beautiful journal. Ask yourself these questions:
- What is the first thought that pops into my head when I wake up?
- How does it make me feel?
- How do I react to that thought and feeling and what do I do about it?
To combat any negative thinking and stress that may crop up, we’re going to start by writing down what we’re grateful for. Being aware of what we already have and know, helps to bring more of that into our life (our thoughts focus on more things like that, rather than the lack of other things). So grab a pen and paper, and write down 3 things that you’re grateful for and say THANK YOU out loud. Physically saying and hearing it helps to confirm it and help it spread into your day.
Secondly, ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to gain from today?
- How do I want to feel at the end of the day?
Having a purpose and an aim keeps up focused and engaged, it also helps to keep us interested in the day and keeps motivation high so we’re constantly feeling a sense of achievement (more YAY’s for us!). Once you’ve answered those questions, you’re going to write down the main focus for your day, and label it as ‘today is going to be a great day, because…’. When we re-frame our ‘to-do’ list with ‘I get to’ list, it suddenly feels like an opportunity and not a chore.
Then, I want you to think about the type of person you’d like to be. Confident? Loved? Successful? Whatever it is, write that down as an affirmation ‘I am confident’, ‘I love and am loved’. Repetition of something becomes a powerful force (it’s like tricking our brain into believing it, and soon we start to feel it and become it).
Finally, remind yourself of your main goal and make a note of it. Is it health related? Money related? Wellness related? Write that down as well and remind yourself of the possibility that because you’ve thought it, you have the ability to gain it. Today is another day to get closer and closer to it.
Once you have these things written down, you’re pretty much set for an amazing day. One that propels you towards a happier, healthier and stronger you. You’ve taken control of your mind, and you’re therefore encouraged to succeed and make the most out of your day. THIS is a powerful way to reduce stress in the morning each and every day.