This Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
Morning Routine to Improve Mood.
Your mood is highly influenced by your environment—by everything going on around you, your interactions with others, and the tasks and activities you engage in. This means that if your environment is stressful—if there’s chaos, negativity, lack of structure, or disorganization—it will reflect in your emotional state. How you feel is very much tied to your environment and the events and experiences happening around you. The first half of your day, particularly the first hour or two of the morning, is believed to be critical in terms of setting a positive foundation for not only the remainder of that day, but in the days that follow, and beyond!
Once you set foot out of your home, your control over events and outcomes begins to diminish to a certain degree, particularly as you begin to interact with the outside world. However, within the confines of your home environment—where you spend the first hour or two after waking up—you have much more control. It also just so happens that the two-hour window that begins when you wake up in the morning is very influential in dictating the quality of the rest of your day—and the state of your mood and emotions. A morning routine is, therefore, your opportunity to construct the start of a positive day.
Getting off on the wrong foot in the morning could have a series of consequences. These consequences—or stressors—will impact your mood, which, in turn, depletes your energy, motivation, enthusiasm, and problem-solving abilities. An ongoing cycle develops where your negative mood then makes it even more difficult for you to manage or cope with any issues that arise throughout the day. Consider how starting your day on a positive note—and enjoying the good mood that comes along with this—could transform the trajectory of your days, and even of your life! For these reasons, top-performing, productive, and goal-oriented people have a very specific morning routine that they follow to a tee. You can adopt this same structure and enjoy the many benefits it brings. Below, we will discuss the main elements of a highly productive, mood-enhancing morning routine.
Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. You’ve likely heard this many times before, and for good reason. It is a must if you want to keep your mood stable and maintain the discipline to stick to your morning routine. You can vary your rising and retiring times by one hour if you want to sleep in or stay up a bit later on weekends, but more than an hour could derail your schedule.
Don’t hit snooze. It is critical to get up as soon as your alarm goes off. This might be a little painful, but staying in bed can likely make you feel even more tired—and more cranky. If you get accustomed to getting your body up and out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off, you will see how much faster you will be able to shake off that morning grogginess and proceed to the rest of your morning activities.
Pick an order of activities and stick to this order. For some, getting in the shower right away helps jump start their morning while for others it’s a cup of coffee or tea. Many people find that going for a walk or doing some other type of exercise upon awakening gets them going. Whatever your preference is, choose an order in which you’ll get your morning tasks done and stick to this schedule. For you, it could be: Wake up, exercise, meditation, shower, get dressed, breakfast, and out the door. However, you must choose a series of activities that works for you and that you’re most likely to stick to. This regimen might seem kind of strict, but when you follow a structured schedule, there’s no room for deviations or interruptions—things that can potentially interfere with a healthy and productive routine. Plus, when you follow an order of activities, you don’t have to waste mental energy on making any decisions in the morning, which equals less stress!
Do as much prep work as you can the night before. This is another method that minimizes having to make decisions in the morning. Doing things like picking out your clothing before you go to bed, preparing lunch ahead of time, cleaning up your bedroom, kitchen, and living area, or even prepping breakfast the night before can contribute to a stress-free morning routine. When you have to scramble to do a lot of menial tasks in the morning, it’s more likely that you will get stressed out and have less time to do more productive tasks, so try to get as much done as you can beforehand. Keeping your living space organized is also key to creating a stress-free morning environment.
Avoid the common sources of distraction and negative stimulation. Electronics, like your smartphone, TV, computer, or other devices can not only distract you in the morning, potentially causing you to run late, but they can often bring about negative emotions that can set you on the wrong track in the morning. Watching the news or going on social media can sometimes introduce various sources of stress and negativity, not to mention, you’ll start clocking in screen time, which can be harmful in excess. Aim for spending the first hour or two of your day focused on activities that are healthy for your mind and body. You’ll likely devote plenty of time to looking at screens later on in the day.
And, on that note, the final point in creating a morning routine for a positive mood involves doing at least one activity that promotes your mental, emotional, and spiritual health. If you must reach for your phone or tablet, do so to access a podcast that inspires you or a book that contributes to learning something new. You can also dedicate some time—even just 5 to 10 minutes—to doing some deep breathing or meditation.
A successful, high-quality morning routine allows you to take care of the practical tasks that you need to do to get out the door coupled with the health-promoting and mood-boosting activities that will promote your wellbeing and success as you embark on the day ahead of you.
