This Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
Have you ever been accused of getting up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning?
Research suggests that the mood you are in at the start of the day affects the rest of your day. One study, for example found that a more positive mood was linked with higher performance quality and productivity throughout the day. When we are efficient and accomplished we developed “feel-good” hormones that increases motivation and improves our mood throughout the day. It is important to be more mindful of your mood in the morning. So, what are some of the things that we can do to improve our mood in the morning and have lasting impact throughout our day? Here are some suggestion to developing a healthy morning routine to improve your mood.
The most important part of setting yourself up for success is having a good night sleep. Sleep plays a crucial role in our mood (see “Improve Your Sleep” blog). Sleep is essential to humans just like air, water and food. Adults need about 6-8 hours of sleep for the brain to restore it self both psychologically and physiologically. Start by developing a healthy sleep hygiene and set an alarm slightly earlier than your usual time. This will allow you to have time to implement your morning routine.
When your alarm clock goes off, take a few moments to lie in bed and take some mindful deep breaths and think of three things that you look forward to and set your intention for that day. It can be anything that brings you joy, happiness, or satisfaction, like having coffee, enjoying your favorite breakfast, interacting with your dog, or looking forward to spending time with a friend or a loved one. Setting an intention and tone for the day can improve your mood. In other words, you can choose to turn a bad mood into a good mood. For example, you decided to take the day off and do self-care; your focus for the day will be selfcare. Or maybe you decided that whatever comes your way, you will be able to overcome by focusing on solutions.
Secondly, keep cell phone notification turned off. Research suggests that when you first wake up in the morning and start divining into social media or checking your emails, it triggers your stress response, effects your concentration, and you are more likely to be on edge and less productive for the rest of the day. For example you can set a bedtime mode on your cell phone from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am in order to not receive any notifications through text messages, social media, or emails.
Try mindfulness meditation and gratitude before you start your day. Mindfulness meditation is training your attention to achieve a mental state of calmness, concentration and positive emotions. You start by simple breathing exercises, yoga and guided lessons to help you become aware of your body sensations , thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness based meditation targets the body’s stress response which impairs the body immune system and exacerbates other health problems like diabetes. Research has found that mindfulness practices influence two different stress pathways in the brain, effecting your attention and emotions regulation. Mindfulness Based Practices are something that I utilize with each interaction I have in therapy.
Start your day with high intensity exercise for at least 15-30 minutes per day. Cardiovascular exercise has a lot of mental health benefits that improves/stabilizes mood. When you engage in high intensity exercise your body and brain produces hormones and neurotransmitters that have a positive impact on your mood, memory, and energy level. Other exercises like aerobic, dancing, yoga, tai chi, swimming, high intensity interval classes, or power walking have been linked to improving mood. If you doubt that you’ll have motivation, take small steps towards your goals, like going for a run for 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes.
What we eat first thing in the morning makes a difference. Research suggests that our gut health and diet can have an impact on our mood. This has to do with serotonin receptors located in the gut. When antidepressant such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) is prescribed , the most common side effect are gut-related issues. Studies have shown that eating healthy and having a balanced diet improves mood, reduces the chances of depression, inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), asthma, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cognitive and mood problems. Start by taking steps towards having a healthier gut to improve mood by eating whole foods and avoiding packages or processed food. You can increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables , frozen fruits without added sugar/additives are also a good choice. Take into account that having enough fiber is important, so include whole grains and reduce sugar intake at breakfast. For example, oatmeal, yogurt with berries or chia pudding. You can also reduce red meat, pork, and lamb, and have more chicken and fish. As always, refer to your primary care on recommendations that better fits you.
Lastly, remember to be patient with yourself. Finding the right morning routine for you can take time to get used to. It is all about taking baby steps towards change and gradually build up. Remember that the point of the morning routine is to improve your mood, not stress you out. If something like running is not your thing, don’t do it! it has to be right for you. You can always try something else, like reading, gardening, maybe is just having tea or writings in your journal. This is not about having a perfect routine lined up, this is about setting your day for success by improving your mood.
