Maybe you’ve woken up with the feeling that today won’t be your day. Or everything seems to just be going wrong. Your stress levels are reaching their peak and you just want to crawl into bed.
Sound familiar?
Well, you can still get back in control of your day and make the most of it. Even when it feels like a complete write-off.
We have some small, helpful improvements you can make to get your day back on the right track whenever things feel hopeless.
1. Breathing
When we’re angry or stressed the way we breathe changes and can really exacerbate how badly we might be handing certain situations.
Becoming more aware of our breath is key to gaining control of the situation. Taking time to slow your breath down, taking deep inhales and slow exhales will help in calming you down and give you the mental space to reassess the situation.
Being aware of your breathing, focusing on it and doing breathing exercises whenever stress levels rise is the most important step in getting in control of your day.
2. Taking Time to Enjoy Meals
In the midst of the daily grind, rushing from one task to the next with an ever-growing to do list, food can become simple a necessity.
We fill ourselves up, like petrol tanks, to power ourselves through the day.
As we mindlessly show down our snack and meals throughout the day, thoughts flying erratically, in every direction, we’re missing an opportunity to take a real break and energise ourselves.
By taking the time to eat slowly and thoughtfully, invested in the moment as opposed to worrying about all the things that need to be done in the future, we notice more, appreciate more and energise ourselves more efficiently.
You’ll clear your mind and feel more energised to get back to work afterwards.
3. Smiling
Smiling and seeing others smile has been proven to psychologically improve our moods. So next time you feel in bad form why not try tricking yourself into feeling better? It’s worth a try!
4. Eating Chocolate
Yes, really. We give you permission to eat chocolate!
If you need a little perk throughout the day, chocolate may be just what you need. Filled with endorphins, chocolate has the ability to lift your mood and taste great. Win-win. We don’t recommend going overboard with this one though…
5. Slowing Down
Feeling like you are in a constant rush is never good. It makes you on-edge, raises your stress levels and it can also feel like you never have the time to do your own thing.
There is a very simple solution to this - slowing down. It’s very simple but it takes a great deal of discipline and practice to get it right.
It might seem counterintuitive slow down as a remedy to being in a rush but slowing down is all about making time to relax whether it’s just unwinding with some music in the car or a quick ten minute read of your book - punctuating your day with these small amounts of slowing down will make your daily rush feel less overwhelming and more manageable.