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15 Sure-Fire Tips to Wake Up and Feel Positive Every Day!

“Folks usually are as happy as they make up their minds to be” ~Abraham Lincoln

Did you ever wake up wishing that you could just turn over and not face the morning? If this speaks to you, you are not alone. However, no matter what challenges await you, you still can be positive, feel in control and have an absolutely awesome day. Why? It’s simple. Your thoughts control your feelings, so it‘s understandable that if you get up in the morning thinking negatively, this mind-set will carry with you throughout the day. Let’s face it, if you don’t want to face the morning in the first place, it stands to reason that when you finally have no choice, you’ll drag yourself up at the sound of the alarm, or maybe stay in bed longer and then rush like crazy to accomplish all you have to do. How can you feel positive and up-beat with a mind-set like this? Eventually, you have to face the day, so you may as well change your attitude from the start. And, if you don’t do something differently, everything will stay the same. So here are some ideas to incorporate. You won’t be able to do all of them, but I assure you that if you do even a few changes, you’ll be assured of a super positive day.

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1) Set Your Alarm Earlier Than Necessary

Believe it or not, I love this one! I get up one hour earlier than necessary and instead of rushing around thinking of what I have to do, I allow my body to relax and breathe deeply. Deep breathing will give you a further feeling of relaxation. Here are a few deep breathing methods: Equal Breathing: Inhale for the count of 4, then exhale for a count of 4 ~ all through the nose. This adds a natural resistance to the breath. Once you’ve gotten that, try this: Aim for 6 to 8 counts per breath. The goal of this exercise is to calm the nervous system, increase focus and reduce stress.

2) Visualization Think of things you like or places you’ve been that that make you happy. Stay with these images for about 5 minutes, before you get out of bed. Think of a wonderful holiday, a happy time ~ anything that can put you in a positive frame of mine.

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3) Here and Now

Stay present. Don’t think of the pressures that are waiting for you. Give yourself permission to take this time for yourself. You are not ready to start the day yet, so put these thoughts aside. This extra time is strictly to keep you grounded and be present to the moment. You’ll tackle what you have to do when it’s time to do it.

4) Gratitude

Start your day with a gratitude list. It’s so easy to think of what we DON’T have ~ and we’re never satisfied because there’s always more. Remind yourself daily of 5 things that you’re grateful for and appreciate the small things. It’s the little things that matter most.

Appreciating what you have keeps you positive. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring for more, but if you don’t appreciate what you have, you have nothing.

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5) Mindfulness If you practice meditation, the early morning is a perfect time to do it. You can also read spiritual books, listen to inspirational podcasts or self-hypnosis downloads. Hypnosis will not only relax you but it can give you additional motivation as well as help eliminate bad habits. If you’re interested in learning more about this, here’s a link to our affiliate: http://www.untwistyourthinking.com/all-hypnosis-downloads.html

6) Exercise

If you enjoy running, an early morning run can be an invigorating way to start the day. Also, if it works with your morning schedule, go to the gym, go swimming, do yoga etc. Any physical exercise first thing in the morning will energize you. Mind and body go together, so start your day with any exercise that gives you a sense of well being.

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7) Breakfast

You may not be a breakfast eater, but just like a car, your body needs fuel. You wouldn’t start the car on an empty tank would you? Make sure your body starts the day with enough healthy, energy packed fuel to last the morning. If you don’t do this, chances are you’ll resort to eating ‘fast food’ to stave off your hunger.

8) Listen to Up-Beat Music

Science all but has confirmed that humans are hard-wired to respond to music. Music stimulates all brain activity. So listen to something that makes you feel happy. You can’t be negative humming up-lifting songs.

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9) No Technology

First thing in the morning is not the time for social media, e-mails, your phone or any technology. All this technology will get you out of focusing on yourself. The purpose of getting up earlier is to ground yourself and take ‘me-time’. Everything else should be put on hold. Don’t worry. You’ll have the rest of the day to handle what life throws at you and you’ll also be better prepared to handle it more effectively.

10) The Past

Yesterday is history. You can’t undo the past, so why aggravate yourself with thoughts of what might have been, should have been or what you could have said or done…..it’s past. If something needs to be changed, do whatever you can do to right the wrong, but don’t drag the negativity of what’s past into the new day.

11) Images Pictures, photos, children’s drawings ~ any images that makes you smile when you see them, should be visible when you wake up each day. How can you be negative when you’re surrounded by images that make you smile?

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12) Humor Laughter really IS the best medicine. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff www.mayoclinic.org “Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up. It’s also good for you over the long haul.”

Laughter may: Improve Your Immune System: Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decrease your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release chemicals that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses. Relieve Pain: Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.

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Increase Personal Satisfaction: Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people. Improve Your Mood: Many people experience depression. Laughter can help to lessen depression and anxiety and make you feel happier. “ Regardless of how you feel, you can find humor in anything ~ even in yourself.

So don’t be negative, put a smile on your face and just get on with it. Staying in a bad mood, or wishing you could stay in bed longer will not improve the situation. It will only make you feel worse.

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13) Positive Affirmations “I’m fat”; “I’m ugly”; “I’m stupid”. What you tell yourself matters. “Affirmations are proven methods of self-improvement because of their ability to rewire our brains. Much like exercise, they raise the level of feel-good hormones and push our brains to form new clusters of positive thought neurons” http://www.arlenetaylor.org/brain-care/953-affirmation. In the sequence of thought-speech-action, affirmations play an integral role by breaking patterns of negative thoughts, negative speech, and in turn, negative actions. Since our thoughts reflect our emotions, giving ourselves positive affirmations have proven effective, not only to change feelings but also for self-improvement, because they rewire the brain. When we say positive things to ourselves, these thoughts raise the level of ‘feel-good-hormones’ and push our brains to form new clusters of positive thought neurons (www.arlenetaylor.org.) We are usually our worst critic; however, to feel good you have to feel good about yourself as well. You must be as kind and considerate to yourself, as you would be to your best friend. When you give yourself affirmation, according to Dr. Carmen Harra: “What is most important is to establish a profound communication with the universe.”

Dr. Harra also says, “You can create affirmations about anything: your love life, relationships, finances, self-esteem ~ anything. Instead of feeling negative about what you don’t have, give yourself positive messages.”

The important thing is that the affirmations speak to you, so you can create them in your own voice, or you can use these, created by Dr Harra:

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I am the architect of my life; I build its foundation and choose its contents

I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them.

A river of compassion washes away my anger and replaces it with love.

Today, I am brimming with energy and overflowing with joy.

(For business owners) My business is growing, expanding, and thriving.

I am courageous and I stand up for myself.

Today, I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones.

I am a powerhouse; I am indestructible

Happiness is a choice. I base my happiness on my own accomplishments and the blessings I've been given.

I acknowledge my own self-worth; my confidence is soaring.

I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.

Though these times are difficult, they are only a short phase of life.

www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-carmen-harra/affirmations_b_3527028.html

When you are feeling down or thinking negatively you can always have positive affirmations to draw on. There is scientific evidence that positive affirmations work however, to make them work, you have to be sure to work them.

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14) Positive People Take a look at your friends, family members and colleagues. Some of them automatically see the dark side in everything. Be aware of who they are, and remember that when you need to feel positive these are not the ‘go-to’ people to lift your spirits. Surround yourself with positive people; their attitude is contagious.

Every new day, provides another opportunity to change your outlook and create a positive day. As you’re ready to start the day, DON’T think of all the pressures that await you. Think only of one thing you WANT to do and ask yourself,

“How am I going to make today AMAZING?”

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15) Prioritize

Don’t let your thoughts of the day overwhelm you. Schedule your morning rituals as a first priority and allow everything else to fall into place. Don’t worry, it will. We always jump to what needs to be done, but more likely than not, we don’t include ourselves in the mix. There’s a tendency to think that we’re selfish if we do for ourselves ~ not so. To function at our best, not only must we take care of other people and financial needs, we must take care of ourselves too.

Remember, how you feel depends on what you think. So review the strategies listed above and apply the ones that work for you. With practice, this will become a daily routine. If you do this consistently, you’ll get more accomplished during the day, feel better about yourself and you’ll actually look forward to

waking up super positive each and every day!

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If you still can’t put a positive spin on the day, feel overwhelmed, or find that you’re drowning in your thoughts, contact me to ask how I can help. Here’s where you’ll find me. http://www.untwistyourthinking.com You can also follow me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/untwistyourthinking And on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/beverleyGlazer