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Mindset And 7 Ways To Improve Your Day

by 14 Oct 2019

Mindset

“It’s all about mindset. From the moment you wake up, to the moment you rest your head at night. Everything is up to you. Your emotions, your thoughts. Your perceptions, your reactions. Every moment.”  I found this quote on the Instagram today and I think it sums it all up perfectly. Everything really depends on your mindset. 

When you wake up with gratitude, smile on your face, grateful for what you have and presume that today is going to be a lovely day – you are right.

If you wake up annoyed, angry, frustrated, focussed on everything that is wrong and decide it is going to be a bad day – you are also right.

Good Morning World

Mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. We are most productive and our willpower is at its highest. Waking up happy and with a positive attitude improves our day. 

Now I am not talking about brushing off all of the traumas and ignoring everything that you are struggling with. I am talking about choosing positivity. Yes, you might have gone through some really tough times and no, it isn’t fair or justified. However, thinking about it is not going to fix anything or make you feel any better, quite the opposite. You will stay in the negative frame of mind, focused on the past and missing out on all the wonderful experiences you can still have.

Is There A Better Way?

 You can choose to get better. If you think you didn’t deserve what happened to you and you would like to work through it, to put it all behind you even a little bit- go for it! You need to believe you deserve a better quality of life and trust that there are great people out there and that the world is not all bad and out to get you.  Even if it’s just a small percentage of your mind thinking that you can achieve something, that you are a beautiful person, that life is going to get better, it’s a good start. You can ‘feed’ that small percentage during therapy or through self-help.  

 

And if you don’t have any difficulties you can pinpoint but feel generally a negative person you can make a few changes in your everyday life and change your attitude:

1. Wake Up Grateful

The moment you wake up, switch your mind to what you are grateful for. Grateful you got to wake up, grateful you have a job, legs to get you out of bed, coffee to drink, train or car to take you to work, etc. You set your mind to seek positives throughout the day and you are more likely to find more things to be grateful for.

2. Exercise

If you can, do 10-15 minutes of physical exercise before you shower, get dressed, eat. Physical activity first thing in the morning will kick start your metabolism, release serotonin and help you concentrate better. It may sound counterintuitive but exercising gives more energy.  Plus, you will have the satisfaction of achieving something before you even got dressed.

3. Breathe

Stop throughout the day to take a few deep breaths, to re set your mind, to calm down your body, to be here and now. Calm, deep breathing reduces stress and anxiety, it will help you control your worries. It will allow you to concentrate on tasks. You can also try meditation, mindfulness or Yoga as they also focus on breathing and clear the mind.

4. Stay Connected

Have a conversation with a friend, neighbour, loved one. Keeping in touch with people you know and love will help you lift your mood, make you appreciate conversation and interactions. It might distract you from your worries or allow you to share them. By sharing, we feel closer to others and speaking about our difficulties can make them more manageable. 

5. Proud Moment

Make a list of your achievements – everything you are proud of achieving (big and small) – and read the list every time you have a moment of self doubt. When making this list you might struggle with examples initially, it’s OK, keep adding to the list. Achievements that are quite significant in your life and those small ones, old and new. It could be finally passing a driving test, getting somewhere on time, asking someone out, going to the cinema on your own, getting your degree. Something that took a lot of effort and dedication from you. What are you proud off?

6. Rest

Make sure you take time for yourself each day. Relax, slow down, eat well, look after your body. Give your brain time to calm down and relax as well. Give yourself 30 minutes of ‘me time’ whatever that means – warm bath, favorite comedy, book time, a walk or sit down in the garden.

7. Sleep

I can’t stress enough how important good sleep is to your health and wellbeing. When you had enough sleep you are thinking clearer, you are less anxious or low. When you are tired, sleepy, you can’t concentrate, it is easier to fall back into old habits of negative thinking and so much easier to build up stress in your head.

Starting Tomorrow

As I mentioned at the beginning – it’s all about your mindset. Decide you are going to have a good day, good life, good future and make it happen! It might not all change tomorrow, but when you follow those small steps, you will start noticing the difference within few days.  Your can add different steps to the list, like meditation, reading a book or writing a journal. Do something positive towards changing your future and see the results.

“A great future doesn’t require a great past.” – William Chapman