How can I Incorporate More Things That Put Me in a Good Mood into My Daily Routine?
My life feels much more stress-free when I make an effort to do things each day that put me in a better mood. It doesn't have to take a lot of time. Some things are quick and others can take more time if I want them to. Really, doing things that put me in a good mood increases my productivity because I am more energized and tend to procrastinate less. I also tend to have much more patience when interacting with my family so I am much nicer. Below are things that put me in a good mood.
Exercise
Often I will not feel like exercising but when I get going I feel much better for the rest of the day. Sometimes this looks like doing a little dance party in the front room with my son, A, and other days it may be a bit more. Most of the time, I try to incorporate exercise into what I already am doing at the minimum. For example, I walk A to school three days a week and go for a run on the way back. Once a week, I walk again to pick him up. Each time I walk it is about four miles roundtrip. Yesterday, we walked across town and to a couple of stores for A's doctor appointment which was almost eight miles in total. Other times I may do yoga and incorporate a workout.
Wake up Earlier
When I wake up earlier, I usually have some time to myself for a little bit which I spend getting some homework done. Then, after A wakes up I have more time to make a decent breakfast and get some household chores done. Usually, I try to wake up around 6am. By time it hits 10 o'clock I have usually accomplished a bit and feel more relaxed for the rest of the day.
Sleeping in a Freshly Made Bed
One of my favorite things is crawling into bed after a busy day to a bed that his freshly made with clean sheets. It feels so clean and the blankets fit more snug. There is also a bit of a fresh scent. I feel much more relaxed as I fall asleep and this continues on into the next morning when I wake up.
Smile
Science says that your body language influences you to have the feelings of what you are expressing. I used to think it was annoying and dumb advice to smile if you are in a bad mood but I have learned there is a lot of truth to it. If I ever notice myself in the mirror of a bathroom by myself, I will sometimes give myself a big grin which puts me in a better mood. Other times when I notice that I am getting grumpy, I will make an effort to make a soft smile.
Manage my Stress Levels
Finding effective ways to manage my stress has been a huge help to putting myself in a better mood. I've learned to focus more on the positive, take deep breaths, and remind myself that things could be much worse. By managing my stress instead of trying to push it aside or hyper-focusing on it has led me to actually deal with the stress and be effective in how I do it. More problems solved means less to stress about and build on.
Sleep More
I used to get about three to six hours of sleep each night because I had a constant urge to be productive and had this idea that sleep is a waste of time. Since having A, I have learned to prioritize my health and model what I want him to do. Now I try to get about eight hours of sleep each night and wake up much more well rested and have plenty of energy and less irritability throughout the day. I've also made an effort to make sure I am getting good quality sleep at night.
Speak out how I Feel
Many times I have tried to suppress my feelings or just keep them to myself. It has taken some work but I have become a little bit better at expressing my feelings verbally. Once I've actually said what I need to say, I feel better because I am not trying to put on this fake smile and act like everything is okay or like my feelings don't exist. Now, I can more easily work towards solutions instead of holding grudges and keeping things to myself. I still have a far way to go with this and am still working on it.
Dress to Impress... Myself
I honestly don't really care what others think about my appearance. I'll often dress in what I feel good in. If I think I look good in something, I will wear it purely because it makes me happy, not because I am trying to impress anyone else. And, honestly, this makes me so much happier than when I was self-conscious and wore really cute clothes in hopes that others would think I looked good. If I look like a mom in mom clothes, then great... that's what I am.
Listening to Music
Good music can put me in a great mood. Often, I will turn on Taylor Swift and sing along to it while A tells me to stop. Her songs are so catchy so it is hard for me to not be in a good mood when I'm listening. Sometimes I listen to other things too. When I run, I always have my earbuds with me because that is what keeps me going. That's probably one of my favorite parts about going on runs is listening to good music.
Make Others Happy
Doing kind things for others always makes my day. Sometimes it is as simple as doing something to help someone or sometimes it is doing something a bit more thoughtful. To me, it is hard not to be happy when others are also happy along with me.
What things put you in a good mood?
Exercise
Wake up earlier
Sleeping in a freshly made bed
Smile
You can vote for more than one answer.
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