Morning Tricks For Having A Better Life Outlook

There’s a reason the internet is filled to the brim with memes that bash mornings — they stink. If you’re a morning person, bless your soul. If you’re not, you can certainly commiserate with me when I say mornings are tough. There are morning tricks for having a better life outlook that can help set you on the right track for the day, though, and many of us who battle the morning struggle can benefit greatly from them. These little habits have proven to be a good means of turning that gloomy outlook you might have on the day ahead of you (and/or life in general) into an outlook that is quite positive.

Since mornings can be the worst for some people — myself included — a lot of times we are left wondering how we can possibly manage to get our minds on the right track before taking on the day. Let’s say you’re overly tired, overly stressed, and you can’t seem to shake the terrible mood you’ve been in since you opened your eyes. It’s not too late to take on this morning and make it yours. By considering some of the morning tricks we will talk about in this article and beginning to include them into your day, you might find the time spent before heading into your office is time very well spent, particularly when it comes to your mind, mood, and overall life outlook. Here are 11 quick things to do in the morning for a significantly better outlook on life.

1. Get Some Light ASAP

Want to improve your level of positivity towards the day the very instant you wake up? It’s as simple as walking over to your windows and pulling open those curtains. For one, it’ll get you right out of sleep mode, as the sunlight will trigger your brain to stop producing its sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin, according to Entrepreneur. Having the sunlight on your face can also work to improve your mood and help you feel both calm and focused, according to Healthline.com. With your mind in a good place, that good outlook on life is within reach.

2. Read An Inspirational Quote

If you’re hoping to set your mind in the right direction to start your day, an inspirational quote might be just what the doctor ordered. According to Reader’s Digest, reading such a quote can help frame the day positivity and can keep you motivated to maintain that great mindset straight through until the evening.

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3. Keep Peppermint Nearby

The mere smell of mint can boost your mood and set you on the right path for the day. According to Woman’s Day, researchers have found that the smell of peppermint not only enhances your mood, but can also get you up and going by helping you to overcome fatigue. The outlet suggested keeping peppermint nearby to you when you sleep so that you can take a whiff first thing when you wake up.

4. Take A Few Moments For Meditation

Easily put your day on a good track by starting it with a little mediation. I spoke via email to Yunha Kim, tech guru and CEO and Founder of Simple Habit — a mediation app — to get a better understanding of what exactly it is about mediation that makes it so wonderful for us. "Meditation is an amazing way to begin the day with a calm and energized mindset," Kim says. "I believe in meditation as a tool to recharge, reduce stress, and be more productive. It's also a great way to get into a positive mindset."

Kim says her team at Simple Habit is so passionate about the power of mediation that they meditate together every morning. You might be wondering if you have the necessary time to mediate, but trust me... you do. According to Kim, it only takes a few minutes to reap the benefits. "In my experience, even just five minutes of meditation can shift how you feel," Kim says, "Hundreds of Simple Habit users have reached out to tell us how easy it is to fit five minutes of meditation into their day, and how effective such a quick session can be."

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5. Don’t Forget To Stretch

Getting the right outlook in the morning can be as simple as taking a few good stretches. According to FitDay.com, if you’re stretching, you’re helping to relieve stress and calm your mind and body as well. If you can make the time, try getting about 10 to 15 minutes of stretches in collectively throughout the day to keep your mind in a good place, and therefore help that outlook on life stay positive.

6. Drink A Glass Of Water With A Hint Of Lemon

Believe it or not, one of the many benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your mood, according to a study reported on by the Huffington Post. The study found that the more water participants consumed, the better their mood was. What’s more, participants who drank more water reported lower levels of depression and tension, too. So, use the power of water to your advantage in the morning by drinking a giant glass right out of the gate to improve your life outlook. Throw some ice and lemon in there to awaken the body a bit more.

7. Eat A Protein-Rich Breakfast

To get yourself going in a good direction means fueling your body that right way. This begins with the breakfast you choose. Entrepreneur suggested a protein-rich breakfast if you want to best fuel your body for the day ahead. Eggs, for instance, are always a good bet.

8. Sip A Mug Of Hot Chocolate

Your outlook on the day will go from 0 to 100 when you’ve boosted your mood properly — so why not do so with a little morning treat? Woman’s Day cited a study that found drinking a beverage with cocoa flavonols amped up mood and level of alertness among study participants. The outlet recommended opting for hot chocolate made with dark chocolate and lowfat or skim milk.

9. Write Down A Goal For The Day

You might find yourself a whole lot more motivated to take on the day, and to do so with a positive outlook, if you’ve outlined a goal (or multiple) to accomplish. I’m not necessarily referring to a to-do list, but rather a bigger, broader goal to set out to achieve (e.g., “Be happy today” or “Show more kindness to others today”). MindBodyGreen.com suggested writing the goal(s) out so that you can physically see them and make them happen.

10. Listen To Something Positive

I personally am addicted to knowing what’s happening in the news. However, sometimes starting my day with 15 minutes of negative news in the morning can work to kill the positive outlook I’d been hoping to have that day. Rather, life coach Ed Herzog recommended listening to or reading something positive in the morning instead. Herzog said this could mean flipping through a few pages of a self-improvement book, or listening to some music that makes you feel good.

11. Make Changes To Your Broader Life Where Necessary

Ultimately, you might be finding it difficult to get a better outlook on life because many things about where you’re currently at and what you’re currently doing are making you unhappy. Fast Company discussed this very notion when it quoted the Stanford University commencement speech Steve Jobs gave in 2005. The quote goes, “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Think about this quote closely. Has the answer to that question been “no” for a long time? If so, you might consider making now the time to make some changes to be happier — where that’s considering looking for a new job, a new apartment, ending relationship, etc. Use the morning to reflect on where what you’re doing is actually right for you, and whether you have the ability and will to change it to send things in the opposite direction.

Tomorrow morning when you wake up, try incorporating some of these habits into your routine. You might soon find your outlook on life is a lot better and more positive than ever before.

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