3 habits to turn your bad morning into a happy one

I wake up feeling insufficient at least once a week.  Sometimes I let that very first thought of "I am not good enough" to dictate the rest of my day.  I will cancel a lunch date because I can't understand why anyone would want to spend their precious time (because I'm learning everyday just how precious and hard to manage time is) with me.  I will stay in bed watching endless episodes on Netflix because I let myself believe that I am not good enough to even bother trying to be productive.

This is counter-productive to my goal of being happy.  So I've put together a list of three things that I do when I wake up on those days feeling like nothing to snap out of that negative thought process.  I hope that these few ideas will help you on those days as well!

1. I make my bed.  

Growing up my mom made her bed every morning.  She said it helped her feel organized.  In my years at college, I have usually make my bed once a week.  But lately I've been trying to make my bed every morning, because when I do I feel organized.  Once I accomplish the feat of making my bed, I can say to myself, "Look, look at that beautifully made bed.  You made that bed. You are a clean and organized person who gets things done."  And that is an instant pick-me-up.

2. I take a shower.  Or at least wash my face.

Taking a shower has a literal and figurative cleansing effect that is hard to ignore.  When I feel clean, I feel ready to take on the day.  I can say to myself, again, "Look, look at what you have accomplished today.  You have put in the effort and time to wash yourself.  You are now ready for whatever today may throw at you."  And if I cannot bring myself to shower because I'm that disheartened, I try to at least wash my face so that it is feels and looks fresh for the rest of the day.

3. I name two things that I am grateful for.

Focusing on the positive aspects of my life makes it harder to feel down.  I like to name two specific things because then there are two good things on my mind for the rest of the day.  Which makes it that much harder to think negative thoughts like, "My life sucks" or "Today just needs to be over already."  Sometimes, I can only think of silly things like how grateful I am for one last pair of clean socks or that puppies exist.  But once I start doing this exercise daily, it gets easier to think of things to be grateful for.  Today I'm grateful that I get to celebrate my birthday this weekend with my family and for sunshine and warmth after rainy days.

I encourage you to try incorporating these three habits into your morning routine, if you're not already doing them (which I bet you are, because you all have your lives together, right?!)  If you have any habits or tips that you practice on your down days to feel better, let me know what they are!  I'd love some new ideas to freshen up my mornings.