Start each morning with something that will steer your day in a positive direction.
Whether it’s a mini yoga session, spending time reading Scripture or your favorite book, listening to calming music or a guided meditation, or even busting out some cardio at the gym, kicking your day off in a beneficial way will clear your mind in preparation for the day that lies ahead. It will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something already, which will put you in a wonderful mood and encourage you throughout the day. Oh, and don’t forget to make your bed before you leave home. It’s a quick, simple habit to pick up; coming home feels even better when you walk in to a freshly made bed.
Drink at least 64 oz. of water a day. Cut the sugar. And while you’re at it, cut the carbs, too.
Not only will this make you feel better in general, but it will keep you from unhealthily snacking during the day. My favorite saying when it comes to food is: if you eat like crap, you will feel like crap. So, if you’ve had a bad day, don’t grab everything you’re craving and wolf it down. Fun fact: contrary to popular belief, your body doesn’t actually need carbs to survive. And just like sugar, stuffing your face with carbs will only encourage your emotional eating habit that inevitably leads to you feeling worse about yourself, which makes you want to eat more, which makes you feel worse, etc. etc. Cutting these out of your diet will help you feel infinitely better, both physically and mentally.
Find one person in your day, and do something nice for them.
Give the stranger in the Starbucks line a compliment on their outfit, help your peer or coworker with that project they’re working on, hold the door open for the mom with a kid in one arm and her groceries in the other. I have learned that it’s not always about how someone else receives your act/words of kindness -- it’s about your attitude, yourmotivation, and yourheart. It’s nourishing for the soul to do something good for someone else, without expecting anything in return.
Spend 5-10 minutes at the end of your day doing a once-over in your living space.
Put the dishes in the dishwasher after you eat, throw your clothes in the hamper and not on the floor, and don’t leave things all strewn about. Keeping your space tidy prevents unnecessary anxiety, and taking a few minutes every day to keep things in order also prevents you from having to spends hours doing it on the weekend.
End each day in a similar way to how you started it.
It’s equally important to close the day out and find some way to relax before you crawl (or if you’re like me, it’s more of a collapse) into bed. Put the electronics away (set your alarm beforehand so you don’t have a reason to look at your phone again), turn the tv off, and just focus. Figure out what helps you quiet your mind down from the day, so that you aren’t bombarded with thoughts about anything and everything while you’re trying to fall asleep.
