I've been meditating every day for about a year now, and I have to say: it's helped me tremendously. I do it at night to help me fall asleep, but I find that when I do it as I'm getting ready for the day, I'm less likely to be distracted. I'm a very forgetful person, and my mind is always in five places at once, so meditating helps me say focused and concentrate on one task at a time. As a person who spends a good portion of her day looking for things she misplace earlier, meditating is a godsend. It's not something in which you'll see sudden improvement in your life, but after awhile you'll notice a difference on days when you don't do it. You'll come to appreciate those few minutes of "me time." Start out with five minutes, and then work your way up to 10 or 15.
Make sure it's something fun and enjoyable, and not from your homework the night before. Now I know half an hour seems like a long time, but if you spend the first 30 minutes doing something relaxing that you enjoy, it'll put you in a better mood for the rest of the day.
[3. Eat something awesome for breakfast]
Whether it's your favorite breakfast cereal or you make a gourmet egg sandwich, treat yourself. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, not just because it's the first thing you're putting in your stomach, but because it's one of the first things you do in the morning. Why not use it to jump start your happy day? Every Friday, to get myself pumped for morning production meetings, I treat myself to an iced coffee and order of hash browns at Dunkin Donuts. It's a special weekly treat for me, and it just makes me so happy to have yummy food in my tummy.
[4. Think of 3 things you like about yourself]
Whether it be physical or mental characteristics, pat yourself on the back for things. In a competitive society such as ours, it's important to remember that we deserve some loving too. What are three things that you want everyone to notice about you?
[5. Stick a note in your back pocket]
Going along with #4, stick a nice note or reminder in your back pocket. If you're not wearing jeans (or a dress with pockets), stick a note on your laptop! If you need any encouragement throughout the day, just pull it out and read it. I do this from time to time (read: tech week) and it really gets me through the hard times.
[6. Smile]
We all know it takes less muscles to smile than to frown, but did you know that you have the power to decide what kind of day you're going to have? It's all a matter of mindset. If you get out of bed thinking, "I'm going to do my best to make this a happy day," and make an effort to do things that make you happy, I guarantee you'll have a better day than someone who woke up thinking their day is going to be miserable. I know that we all have problems, and there are many things that happen that are out of our control, but in the realm of possibilities, there are still things you can do to make it better. Today isn't Friday, but I need a personal pick me up, so you can bet your butt I'm going to get a coffee from Dunkin today. So smile, for me, please?
