Improve Your Mood with a Morning Routine
Amanda Baker Amanda Baker

Improve Your Mood with a Morning Routine

It all begins with a morning routine. Now really, it begins with a nightly routine, but for now, we will start with the a.m. How can morning routines improve your day, productivity, and overall mental health? First, it will take some time to get used to this, but in the long run, it will become one of the most amazing things you can do for your mental health. Having a good morning routine can create a sense of normalcy and can keep you calm and energized throughout your day. It can help you become more mindful of your needs and help improve your life. What does the research say about having routines? Let’s see.

Research shows one easy way to start with a kick-butt morning routine is to be consistent with your sleep patterns and learn to ease into the day. This can look like giving yourself a few minutes to practice some gratitude moments or mindfulness activities before jumping out of bed. You can include some time to listen to a motivational or inspirational message to start your day. A great thing to include in your morning routine is to open the curtains and let some light in which can stimulate your brain and wake you up. Another fantastic way to improve your mornings is to eat a good breakfast which can increase your energy levels and let’s face it, for some of us, coffee is a necessity to get going as well. This can be added to your morning meal. One final thing to consider having a kick-butt morning routine is to get some physical movement, like getting in some morning stretches or a brief morning walk, especially if you have a fur baby, this would be an excellent time to get in this body wake-up moment.

Having a morning routine can really improve your overall mental well-being. We are always on the go, and we forget at times to take care of the one life we have. The busyness of life can really take a toll on us, and we would benefit so much to become more mindful of our day, our time, and our energy. Life can be cognitively expensive. We must learn to take care of ourselves and have a planning session for our day to keep our minds and hearts well nourished.

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Can Exercise Calm Our Anxiety?
Amanda Baker Amanda Baker

Can Exercise Calm Our Anxiety?

Exercise, oh yeah, it really does help!!!

Anxiety is known to be one of the most common mental health struggles across the globe. The American Psychological Association website describes exercise as an often-overlooked resource with beneficial effects on our overall health, including our mental health. Some experts even report that just taking a walk out in nature or outside can lower stress, increase blood flow and blood circulation throughout the body and brain, as well as help clear our thoughts with a temporary but healthy distraction. Having an exercise routine can benefit us in so many ways and let’s see how.

Can you believe it? Exercise can give our minds a much healthy stimulation and sensory distraction from all of the stress and anxiety we experience in our day to day. It won’t take away what is causing us the stress or anxiety, but it can bring our mind and body to a calmer more focused state so you can possibly work through your anxiety or stress a little more effectively. Some exercises can calm and distract us from negative thoughts, especially if we go outside and soak up the fresh air. Spending more time in nature can also help to quiet the mind. By exercising regularly, we engage our endorphins, which are known to not only boost our mood but also to lower our stress levels. Being physically active can help lower the potential risk of anxiety, depression, and other mood disturbances.

Tips that can help when starting an exercise journey is to first, start off small and check in with your doctor on any medical concerns or if you have any underlining health issues. You want to make sure that starting this journey doesn’t cause any injuries or if you need to modify your physical activity levels you can fit it to your specific needs. The second would be to choose something that you enjoy and build from there. If you don’t like it, most likely you won’t do it for very long. This leads to the third tip, seek out a form of social activity to help build social connections which can also provide amazing mental health benefits. It can help increase motivation and allows for support which has been shown to increase feelings of belonging and inclusion. Last, but most importantly, celebrating the wins will help to keep you motivated and will positively impact both your mental and physical health. Give it a go, and see how you feel.

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