Yesterday morning I went to the press launch of the second collection from super-stylish fitness brand Every Second Counts. Heads up, it’s full of covetable sports-luxe pieces highlighted with flashes of neon and will be online in October. Want. It. All.
As well as doing a 30-minute Pilates class, tucking into a healthy brekkie with Madeleine Shaw (including Primrose’s Kitchen muesli, yoghurt, fruit, nuts, seeds, almond milk and Imbibery juice, so good), we also heard a talk from wellbeing expert Akcelina.
The theme of the talk was ten steps to make every second of your day count and it was packed with good ideas that I’m going to start introducing into my day. If you find yourself doing any of the following: chugging coffee and eating sweet treats to combat mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon slumps, obsessing over that thing you did/didn’t do, said/didn’t say and/or flying off the handle when that idiot in (insert department here) does that idiotic thing they always do (guilty, guilty and guilty) then you might find some of them useful too…
Morning Mantras
Begin your day with the attitude of gratitude Starting your morning off on a positive note will lead to a more positive, productive and satisfying day. Soon after waking write down three things you feel grateful for in your life and set a positive intention for the day ahead.
Nourish your body with a healthy brekkie What you eat for breakfast has a huge impact on your energy, focus, concentration and ability to cope with whatever challenges are thrown at you during the day. Try whizzing up a breakfast smoothie, having gluten-free muesli with nut milk or, if you have a little more time, cooking eggs your favourite way and serving them with asparagus and salmon, on a bed of rocket or watercress.
Enhance your mood with colour Red boosts courage and attitude (great if you’ve got a presentation you’re feeling nervous about). Orange amps up optimism and energy levels (just the thing if you’re got a major project on). Green has a calming and balancing influence (great if you know you’re going to have a particularly stressful day). Wear the colour (go as big as a dress, or as small as a ring) or surround yourself with it (for example a notebook or a vase of flowers on your desk).
Ways To Sail Through The Day
Be proactive instead of reactive Mid-morning and mid-afternoon are times when we’re most likely to feel more irritable, stressed, overwhelmed and reactive. Asking yourself questions like, “Do I want to make this about my reaction or about the results?” and “What resources do I need to tap into in order to create these results?” will help you come up with solutions instead of having a meltdown.
Eat right throughout the day Instead of reaching for a cappuccino/crisps/chocolate bar to get you through the mid-morning and mid-afternoons energy slumps, eat a healthy lunch (your healthy lunch formula = protein + veggies), stay hydrated and have some healthy pick-me-ups to hand such as coconut yoghurt, gulten-free oatcakes with nut butter, hummous or guacamole, or blueberries with sunflower seeds to snack on during the day.
Look after yourself Feeling tired and overwhelmed are signs we’ve taken on too much and neglected our own needs (sufficient sleep, rest, eating well, quality me time, emotional and physical support). If you’re feeling like this ask yourself, “What is the kindest thing I can do for myself right now?” Listen out for the answer and act on it, perhaps getting away from your desk for a couple of minutes and focussing on your breathing or stepping outside for a walk.
End The Day On A Positive Note
Have a transition period between work and home Give yourself mental and physical space to recharge between work and home by listening to a chill-you-out playlist or getting lost in a book on the journey home, going to a post-work yoga class, taking five minutes to sit and drink a mug of (herbal) tea before getting on with your evening or whatever works for you.
Replenish your body with a healthy dinner Quick, easy and nutritious ideas for dinner, that can be scaled up or down include chicken and vegetable stir-fry with quinoa or cauliflower rice, spaghetti bolognaise with courgette spaghetti or grilled salmon with asparagus, cucumber, fennel, pomegranate seeds and rocket, with roasted sweet potato and ginger.
Be your own cheerleader All too often we give ourselves a hard time and feel guilty about things we have/haven’t done or said (seriously if you talked to your friends like you talk to yourself you wouldn’t have any friends, so stop it, right now!). End each day with writing down at least one thing you appreciate about yourself.
Programme your mind for success while you sleep Write down the following to end your day on a positive note: One thing I did well today is… One thing I will do better next time is… No judgement, no failure, only feedback and stepping stones to success. Doing this before you sleep is especially effective as our subconscious mind is most impressionable then.
What are your strategies for getting through the day as happily, healthily, successfully and as stress-free as possible? Do share!
I love the aromatherapy range Badger (http://www.badgerbalm.com/) – they do lots of lovely pulse point balms which all smell amazing. I have the Sleep Balm, Stress Soother Balm, and the Yoga and Meditation Balm and they all work a treat 🙂 I bought the Stress Soother because I’m learning to drive and recently had a super meltdown mid-lesson, putting the balm on (temples, neck, wrists, under nose) and taking it with me if I needed a top up really helped at the last lesson and kept my nerves steady.
The Yoga Balm is lovely and I use it during the Bodybalance classes I go to – I put it on before the class and then at the end for the meditation – bliss 🙂
I’ve also started snacking on nuts instead of the various chocolatey items that hang around our office! And my breakfast is muesli and Greek yogurt with honey – does the job and doesn’t taste all ‘health food/sawdust’ 🙂
The Badger Balms sound brilliant Annie, especially the Yoga & Meditation Balm. And I might have to add some of their sleep remedies to my arsenal of insomnia-beating products!
Great post Miranda, I love to read about this kind of thing. I have very recently got into “headspace” – an app for 10 minute (you can work up to longer) daily meditation sessions and it is a great way to finish off the day. Try it! They have a twitter account too with very helpful info-graphics on the way the mind works.
I really struggle with mornings, no matter how much sleep I get – so have been trying to look at how I start my day. Instead of an alarm clock I now have a sun lamp, so it gradually wakes you up naturally instead of with a shockingly loud alarm sound! I also gave up caffeine because I was worried my body relied too much on coffee to wake up each day. This has also helped!