ISBN 9781352005790. Visit macmillanihe.com for more information about this book
17
Do I …?
Start the day right!
1. Do I get up at a different time every day? Yes
No
2. Do I tend to dread getting up?
Wake up on the right side of the bed!
How can this help? A study by Rothbard and Wilks in 2011 found that the mood we have at the start of the day has a cascading effect on the rest of the day.46 Starting in a negative mood leads to higher stress. A positive mood at the start of the day is associated with many benefits, such as more articulate speech, greater effectiveness at work and even better grammar, as well as reduced stress.
Consider your responses Some people love mornings; others find it hard to drag themselves out of bed. If you find them difficult, you are nearer your stress threshold even before anything happens. If you find ways to manage that, then you can set up your whole day better. To do. I will …
36 50 Ways to Manage Stress
Yes
No
3. Do I find mornings are a chaotic rush? Yes
No
4. Do I usually leave home in a rush? Yes
No
5. Do I leave a lot of time yet somehow end up rushing? Yes
No
See also Ways 9, 18, 23
ISBN 9781352005790. Visit macmillanihe.com for more information about this book
Take control of your day … Get up at the same time This means you don’t have to think about whether you want to get up – you just do it! It can help your body clock to settle, helping you to sleep through until your usual waking time.
Build a strong routine Follow the same routine every day until eventually you start to complete it ‘on automatic pilot’. It will be one less set of things to worry about. Your brain won’t have to stress about what to do before it has woken up fully: it knows what to expect so can be calm.
Use a pleasing alarm Use an alarm or wake-up call so you take control of when your day begins. zz Use a pleasant wake-up tone or music you like. zz Consider using an alarm that starts quietly and gets gradually louder, to avoid waking with a shocked jolt and adrenaline rush.
Leave ‘just enough’ time zz Each night, make a list of everything you have to do in the morning. zz Set the alarm to leave just sufficient time to get through your routine and list. In the morning, this helps to stay focussed. It avoids a sense of having plenty of time, then getting distracted and having a panicked rush.
Start the day right! 37