Daily habit examples for your mental health and productivity
Mon | April 2022
Healthy morning habits are essential to nurturing your mental health, empowering yourself, and paving the way to finally reaching your definition of success.“Some people dream of success, while others get up every morning and make it happen. -Wayne Huizenga.
How will you take advantage of a new day’s worth of opportunities without a feel-good morning routine? This guide highlights powerful morning habits and teaches you to apply them on your terms easily.
Establish a healthy daily schedule
Build your morning routine depending on how much time you have available. At what time do you wake up? How much time are you willing to dedicate daily to your morning routine? Answer these two questions first, and you’ll finally come up with a healthy daily schedule you can stick to every day.
If you have minimal time to rise and shine- don’t fill your cup; you won’t be able to keep up, making you feel frustrated and give up. Take it easy. Pick two to three feel-good habits to benefit your mental health and make you optimistic about the day. Savor the rewards of consistency, and you will start making more and more time for yourself every morning. Below are four powerful morning habits to boost your mental health and chances for success:
1. Integrate an exercise routine
The key to success and happiness is moving your body! According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine findings, morning exercises promote mental clarity, increased energy throughout the day, and longer attention spans. Let’s sugarcoat that our body also secretes “happy chemicals” or endorphins that’ll stay with you long after that “workout high.”
If exercise doesn’t come easily, we suggest taking baby steps to trick your brain. Integrate at least one short activity every day and commit to it! If you’re not ready to run- consider brisk walking outdoors for a few minutes. If you’re not prepared for yoga- take five minutes to stretch first thing in the morning.
You should always choose something that brings you to enjoy. Boost your spirits with an upbeat playlist and plan which activities you’ll do beforehand.
Find a simple stretching, yoga, or strength routine you can do first thing in the morning. Save your favorite exercises from YouTube, Instagram, or other free sports apps- and stop making excuses. We also suggest walking or biking to work.
2. Drink water and avoid processed foods
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, almost half of all Americans will have obesity by 2030. We need to pick up on new healthy eating habits -yesterday.
It all starts with your first meal of the day. If you constantly pick sugary energy drinks or processed snacks, you are paving your way to heart problems, jittery hands, and explosive sugar crashes.
Planning out a healthy breakfast starts at the grocery store. Forget about Tony the tiger- ditch the processed foods high in sugars and opt for natural foods- the fewer ingredients on the back of the box, the better. You need to fuel your body for success throughout the day.
The top-performing breakfast foods are oatmeal, eggs, and fruits. Always have these in your fridge. Another component element here is water. Fill out a glass bottle and put it on your nightstand or bathroom counter. Prioritize drinking water even before you take your coffee.
Plan out your on-the-go breakfast the night before or ahead of the week. Blend up a natural juice and keep it in a bottle in the fridge, separate Tupperware with yogurt, fruit, or oatmeal, and eat it at work.
3. Meditate and embrace the silence
Successful leaders and entrepreneurs have solicited decision-makers. This constant pressure to constantly connect with employees or customers first thing in the morning can be a harmful stressor. Learning to disconnect to connect through meditation is more important than ever- but it takes practice. Follow the following simple tips to start meditating:
Keep your phone away from your nightstand.
When your feet touch the ground, head directly to that clean and cozy space, and don’t take your phone with you.
Put on a 10-minute timer, sit comfortably, close your eyes, and sit down in silence.
You don’t have to be a Tibetan monk to try it out. However, incorporating meditation as an everyday habit can significantly reduce the secretion of cortisol- the stress hormone.
High cortisol levels lead to depression, anxiety, and increased blood pressure. So it’s no wonder successful entrepreneurs such as Arianna Huffington, Oprah Winfrey, and Marc Benioff, the multi-billion-dollar Salesforce CEO, prioritize this healthy morning habit every day.
You can try these short breathing exercises or make using these mindfulness apps a new easy habit.
4. Journal daily
If you want to be an influential leader who leads by example, look within first. The best way to do this is to journal. When you sincerely write down what’s on your mind every morning, you gain self-awareness about recurring thoughts, emotions, and insecurities. This is the best way to detect where you are right now and diagnose your current state of mental health.
Follow the following tips to start meditating:
Take some time to pick out an attractive journal and a pen. Keep it near your nightstand or coffee table every day. If the blank page feels like too much freedom, you can assign yourself a punctual prompt. Some examples are: Write three things that I am thankful for today Or ask yourself. You can also ask yourself just like Steve Jobs did every day: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do?
Keep journaling as a private morning habit reserved for you and just for you. You can always go back and track your moods and emotions that month.
Successful people take care of their mental health every morning
No, it’s not about measuring the performance of your healthy morning habits every day. It’s about incorporating a routine to lift your spirits and make you feel like you can seize the day! Wholesome morning routines will help you maintain emotional, physical, and mental health even during stressful times. So, what are you waiting for? Let that ray of morning light in.