How to Start Your Day in an Excellent Way – Episode 499

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Research has shown that having a consistent morning routine is essential to a happy, healthy and successful life.

But what if you’re not a “morning person”?

It doesn’t have to be hard or involve getting up super early.

Psychologists have identified a few important activities that can help start your day with the right mindset and intention.

Doing just one or two of these things can make a difference.

In this episode of the Ted in Your Head podcast, Ted shares just a few simple but impactful habits that you can develop with ease.

Learn to start the day in a most excellent way and check out this episode.

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Listen to this podcast episode now:

 

I like getting up early in the morning, you might call me a “morning person.”

I understand that not everyone’s like me. I usually don’t see my first hypnotherapy client until 9 or 10 am. I know that some people must be at work much earlier.

I also get that the idea of “starting your day in an excellent way” might make some people grumpy, especially those that aren’t “morning people.”

I recently read a few articles online that discussed studies that show that our chronotype, which is our preference to rise early or sleep late, is partly determined by our genes. (So don’t feel too bad if getting up is a chore.)

However, whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, psychologists have identified morning activities that can not only increase the chances of having a good day, but a successful life as well.

The idea here is to establish a morning routine that becomes a daily habit. This has been shown to reduce stress, improve energy levels and increase productivity.

A morning ritual is simply something you do first thing in the morning that empowers you, that puts you in a good headspace, and leaves you feeling energized but calm and ready to take on the day.

If you’ve tried cultivating a morning routine, you know it’s not easy, especially if you have to be up at the crack of dawn or earlier to make it to work or take the kids to school or daycare.

But if you feel that a morning routine would be helpful for you, start with one or two of these things that you feel are realistic for you, then add more if you can. May you can only do two or three things; if so, that’s better than nothing. Take it step by step and be patient and gentle with yourself.

It can be as short and simple as 15 minutes of meditation or prayer. It can be a yoga workout or a walk on the treadmill or outside. It could be doing a little journaling. But it must work for you, or you won’t do it.

So, here’s some ideas for starting your day. Pick one or two that you think will work for you and try them out. Give yourself some time to work this out. Write down what sounds good to you. Then, start with something, even if it’s just one thing, every morning. You don’t have to do the same thing each day, you can alternate.

Let’s start with something obvious but not really part of a morning routine: a good day starts the night before.

Staying up too late, drinking or eating too late, and not having a consistent bedtime make it difficult to have an intentional morning.

I would suggest two things to make it easier to have a good morning:

  1. Try to get to bed at the same time every night
  2. In the evening, take some time to plan for the next morning. In other words, what time you want to wake up and what do you do.
  • Next, you really need to establish the habit of getting up at the same time, even on weekends. This will train your body to wake up and get out of bed more easily. This takes time but if you’re serious about starting the day in a good way, then getting up intentionally is fundamental.
  • After you wake up and before you even get out of bed, focus your mind on something positive. It might be a thought or prayer of gratitude or some positive affirmations such as “It’s going to be a good day” or “I am blessed and highly favored.”

For about the first half hour after you wake up, you are in a state of hypnosis. That means that your mind is open and suggestible, so what you think and do first thing in the morning not only gets impressed upon your subconscious mind but has a powerful impact on your day.

  • Drink Water to rehydrate. Make it a big glass. I put a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar as well as some powdered minerals and electrolytes. Dehydration can cause fatigue and affect your brain function.
  • Start the day with intention and mindfulness. Avoid picking up the phone to check news or social media, which can stress you out, piss you off and put your brain on the distraction highway.

Instead, review or visualize your goals, say or write your positive affirmations, meditate or pray. Take a few minutes to direct your mind towards that which you desire. It can be helpful to set an intention for the day such as fun, happiness, creativity, success or gratitude. Say it out loud with passion and enthusiasm.

We’re all struggling to manage our phone use. I check only for any urgent texts from my kids at college, or my extended family, then I put it down. If you can win this struggle, you’ll feel a lot more focused and in control for the rest of the day.

  • Expose yourself to natural light. Open the blinds or curtains or go outside. Let natural light into your brain to tell it that it’s time to wake up. This will also help regulate what is known as your circadian rhythm, which is your 24 hour body clock.
  • Now you want to move your body. It could be as simple as a bit of stretching and breathing, or you might do a few yoga poses. If you can get outside and take a walk or jog or ride a bike even for a few minutes, you’ll find that this can be a very wonderful part of your day. If you have time, work out or get to the gym as many days a week as you can or alternate with other movement activities

You will feel a difference in your life if you can just do the 6 things we talked about:

  1. Getting up at the time you intended
  2. Focus your mind on something positive
  3. Drink water
  4. Do a mindfulness practice such as prayer, meditation or affirmations
  5. Get some natural light
  6. Move your body

Let me add just a few more:

  • Morning nutrition. There is a lot of debate about eating breakfast. I believe that morning nutrition is important for restoring low blood sugar after 8-12 hours of sleep and providing essential energy for the brain and body to function optimally.

For some, it might be a protein shake, or, if you are expending a lot of calories at your job, you might need a full-on breakfast. Skipping breakfast occasionally like on a fast day can be helpful. Everybody is different but if you have a habit of skipping breakfast I suggest you try eating as soon as you can, with a breakfast of higher protein and lower carbs.

Many clients that come to my hypnotherapy office with anxiety find that eating in the morning helps prevent low blood sugar which can trigger anxiety, induce brain fog, and curtail cognition and productivity. Experiment to see what works for you.

 

  • Do something you enjoy doing such as listening to music, reading, or journaling.
  • Or, do the magic that you do.  If you are a writer, write. If you are a painter, paint. If you are a musician, make music. If you’re a singer, sing. If you are a dancer, dance. If you are a photographer, take some photos. You get the idea, do your passion first thing if you can.

 

So there you go, just a few of the best things that you can do to start your day in an excellent way.

However, if you want to do a deeper dive into cool stuff to do in the mornings, I released a podcast two years ago titled “Creating a Morning Ritual: 25 Awesome Things to Do” for those of you that are a bit more ambitious and that have a little more time in the mornings.

Thanks for reading this!

Want to catch up on previous episodes? Click Here >

Just a reminder that you can watch me in action on YouTube or listen to my podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or Soundcloud.

I invite you to book a complimentary consultation today if you need support with getting up earlier or finding the motivation to start your morning ritual.

To request your complimentary consultation, go to tedmoreno.com/contact and I’ll get back to you within 48 hours.

Here’s a quote for you from a song by one of my favorite artists, Cat Stevens. The lyrics are from a traditional Christian hymn by Eleanor Farjeon first published in 1931.

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world.

I wish you many beautiful mornings,

Ted