Start the day with kindness

Some of my mornings look like this: jump out of bed and feel my back ache, rush downstairs without making the bed, grab a coffee, check my phone whilst rushing around trying to choose clothes for the day but hating everything I own. Followed by panicking that I don’t have the stuff I need ready for the day so hastily grabbing at paperwork, looking for keys, thinking I must take something for my breakfast (then forgetting) and soon enough, shouting my goodbyes at the door and breathing heavily as I pace towards the car. Funnily enough, by starting my day like this, I set the tone for the rest of the day and it's never the best day.

I now follow a morning routine that sets me up positively and ensures a more productive, more purposeful (and kinder) tone to the rest of my day. Here I will share it with you but if you find yourself staring at the list thinking you won’t do it or don’t want to do it, then that’s okay. I only recommend you do the last two every morning (5 and 6).

1. Stretch before you get out of bed: by taking a few moments to stretch in whatever way feels good for you, you’ll set the right tone for the day. Just by giving yourself a full body stretch will reap huge benefits for your mind and body.

2. Make your bed: by doing this one little task, I find it has a knock on effect to all the other tasks I need to complete that day. The sense of pride you take in seeing your bedroom that little bit tidier, will encourage you to do another task and then another throughout the day

3. Say something nice: whoever you see first in the morning, say something nice to them. A bright “good morning” will be welcomed by the other person, whereas a grunt or nothing spoken at all breaks down our connections with the people we love or live with.

4. Avoid your phone: this one isn’t easy. But I recommend leaving it as long as possible before checking your phone. Take time for yourself, in your environment and with the people physically with you, before you cut that all off and bury your head in your phone. You’ll find you are more present. Happier.

5. Smile: it’s a fact that smiling releases endorphins. So don’t forget your beautiful smiles in the morning and let all that positive energy power the rest of your day. Plus you can do almost anything whilst you smile – it takes up no time at all.

6. Write a thank you email: when you first sit down in front of your computer or pick up your phone; start the day with a kind email or message. If you can’t think of a message to send, write a thank you message. This could be to someone who did something for you the day before, it could be to a friend who sent you a birthday present months ago and you forgot to say thank you for it, it could even be a google review thanking a local coffee shop for the great latte you had the week before. This sense of gratitude will allow you to feel more gratitude for everything else in your day and therefore help you to have a great day, every day!