Are you responsible for your own happiness? Or does it depend on how things go around you?
One of the hardest lessons I learned, when I started delving deeper into general psychology and yoga psychology, is that we are responsible for how we feel.
Not our partner.
Or our children.
Or the traffic lights that keep turning red as you approach them (and you’re already late).
Nope.
You are responsible for your happiness.
And I am for mine….
Hurts, doesn’t it?
I didn’t like the sound of it when I first realised that. That meant I suddenly couldn’t start blaming my husband or my kids for getting me angry… It was all on me.
The positive flip side of that particular coin is that we can choose to be happy.
We can choose the way we respond to things.
Now, I’m not saying it’s easy. And I’m definitely not saying that I get it right all of the time (ask my daughters!) but it is empowering to know that if we want to be happy, we don’t have to wait for something to happen, we can make ourselves happy.
And it all starts as soon as you open your eyes in the morning.
You can dedicate 15-20 minutes in the morning to set you up for a happy day.
How does that sound?
There are 1440 minutes in a day. Surely, you can spare some of that to live a happy day – every day.
Morning routine for happiness
Start with happiness in mind.
What stops us from starting our day with an expectation that this will be a great day?
Nothing at all.
One of the easiest ways to start your day with happiness in mind is to repeat to yourself a positive affirmation as you open your eyes So why not pick one of the suggestions below, or write your own, to prime your mind to look up for the good in everything that comes your way.
Examples are:
For general happiness
Today is going to be a good day.
I am making the most of today.
I am going to cherish every moment of this new day.
I am attracting happiness today.
I am going to see the positive in everything.
If you are working with something specific, you could opt for a more precise affirmation:
For success
I am a success magnet.
I am worthy of success.
For confidence
I believe in myself and my abilities.
I am going to be the best version of myself today.
Don’t skip breakfast
Your body has effectively been fasting throughout the night (hence the name break-fast coming from breaking your fast with the first meal of the day).
By the time you wake up in the morning, your body needs to replenish its energy and a nutritious breakfast is the best way to do it. Especially if you don’t want to suffer from being “hangry” later in the day.
Move your body
Your body is made to move.
If you want to fire up the good mood hormones around your body, a little bit of exercise will go a long way.
Spend a little bit of time doing some movements before you start your day of activities: do some yoga, go for a walk, put some music on and have a boogie… The choice is yours.
See each day as a new day
How many days have you wasted ruminating about things that have happened in the days before or worrying about what might happen in a couple of weeks?
If you’re anything like me, probably a few!
And this is another thing that we can control.
We can choose to see each day as a new entity of 24 hours during which we intend to be happy and do our best with whatever comes our way.
Yoga, meditation and mindfulness are brilliant at exercising this particular “being in the present moment” muscle in our brain.
If you’d like some easy practices that you can do in just a few minutes in the morning, click on the link below:
Don’t check their emails/Facebook/Instagram… first thing in the morning
It is so incredibly tempting to reach for our phone and have a little look at Facebook, Instagram and the like before getting out of bed.
The problem in doing that is that you are turning your attention immediately outwards as you wake up. You make whatever the social media algorithms have chosen your main focus, rather than starting the day focusing on you.
And you open the door to envy, FOMO and worry even before you step in the shower!
Why would you want to do that when you could start the day in a calm and relaxed way and take some time to feel strong and replenished on the inside before you open the door to all of that.
So here you go!
You can choose to be happy, each and every day.
And all it takes is a few tweaks to your morning routine so that you are more centred, confident and brighter to start your day.