Morning person or night owl? Either way, we could all benefit from sparkling up our morning routines, especially for those early AMs when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It happens! Get ready to supercharge your day with these morning mood boosters.
The Benefits of a Positive Morning Routine
First things first. Are mornings overrated? Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to have a magical morning routine? Here’s the thing. It’s totally possible to have a bad morning and still turn your day around. We’re always in control of what we choose to focus on! However, when you have an awesome morning, it’s easier to have a great day.
For instance, maybe you’ve noticed that when you have a happy morning, the rest of the day tends to go more smoothly. Or when you wake up late and rush out the door all stressed and frazzled, you feel “off” for hours afterward. So what gives?
The stress response. When you have a positive morning, your body and mind find it easier to stay relaxed. But when you start the day stressed out, that sets an overwhelming tone.
5 Morning Mood Boosters to Transform Your Day
So how do you set yourself up for the day’s success? These 5 morning mood boosters are amazing for staying confident, calm, and collected. Give them a go!
#1 Break The Rules First Thing
The average working human has a lot of rules to meet: deadlines, bills, responsibilities, to-dos, etc. This makes adulting quite overwhelming at times. And whether we like it or not, our inner child still lives within us. Connecting to play, fun, and “breaking the rules” is a fantastic way to reduce stress and connect with our nostalgia. Now obviously, as an adult, it’s important that we break the rules in a healthy way. This could look like changing up your routine, treating yourself every once in a while, dancing, singing loudly, and just genuinely enjoying yourself.
How nice would it be to start your morning this way? When you wake up, give yourself permission to take an extra 5 minutes to break the rules and do something you love.
#2 Do Some Light Movement
There are many different forms of self-care: emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, etc. But one of the best ones to do right when you wake up? Physical. This is because your body might be stiff or a little achy from staying in the same positions all night. You don’t want to carry that stress with you throughout the day!
Do some light movement to stretch out your muscles, increase blood flow, and boost those endorphins. You could do yoga, go for a walk, or just sit on the floor and gently stretch different tight areas. For morning mood boosters, even just 5 minutes counts!
Browse the For You Tab in the FitOn app to find a workout, stretch, or yoga class to kickstart your morning.
#3 Refresh Your Mind
Rather than waking up and immediately consuming social media, make it a point to put yourself first and take care of your mind!. There’s nothing worse than waking up overwhelmed, only to check your phone and become even more overwhelmed at messages, racing thoughts, and to-dos.
Time for a brain refresh to start the day great! Do a brain dump and journal everything on your mind. The key here is to not judge any thoughts that come up. Just get it all out on paper, so it’s no longer taking up precious mental space. You don’t even have to read it back!
As a bonus, list a few things you’re grateful for to amp up positive thoughts.
#4 Release All Expectations
The mind is funny. The more we try to force feelings, the more we actually feel the opposite. For example, maybe you go into a yoga class with an expectation to relax. The whole class you’re thinking about how much you want to relax, and you just end up getting frustrated at yourself because you can’t. There’s too much thinking involved!
Rather than having an expectation to have the best day ever, begin your morning with some self-compassion. Release the pressure. Let emotions flow. And allow yourself to feel whatever comes up. The more we resist, the more it persists!
RELATED: How to Redefine Self-Care to Make it a Sustainable Daily Practice
#5 Have Something to Look Forward To
Okay, but seriously, is there anything better than looking forward to something? Maybe you have a fun trip coming up in a couple of weeks, or you’re getting drinks with a friend in the evening. It’s so easy to wake up in a good mood when you know something good is coming. So as you get dressed and make your coffee, start thinking about things you could look forward to. And allow yourself to fully feel the excitement!
Make Mornings Your Favorite Part of the Day
Each AM, ask yourself: what would make today great? What could I do to make today more fun? Journal around these questions. You’ll be surprised at how even the smallest of changes to your routine can make a world of difference for your mood. Morning mood boosters for the win!
