4 Ways To Wake Up In A Better Mood

By Lindsay Colameo for Allure

Image via: newclothing.co

Whether you roll to the right or left side of the bed in the morning, having the right mind-set when you peel yourself from the pillow can shed some sunny, cheerful light on even the longest, most grueling of days.

I spoke to Domonique Bertolucci, the author of The Kindess Pact (Hardie Grant Books), to get her best tips for starting your day in a better mood.

1. End The Day Before With A Clear Head 

How you start one day is determined by how you end the day before. “End your day calmly,” says Bertolucci. “I try to have two thoughts before I go to bed: Gratitude for what happened that day, and setting intentions for tomorrow.“ Go to bed with those final thoughts and wake up with them.

2. Accept Your Imperfections

So you’re not a morning person? Don’t beat yourself up. Accept it and make adjustments. “Set your alarm a full 30 minutes or an hour earlier so you can enjoy a nice snooze,” she says. Waking up and feeling tired doesn’t mean you didn’t get enough sleep; it just means your body is still waking up. “The sooner you get yourself up and moving, the sooner you will feel awake,” she adds.

3. Set Meaningful Goals 

Not the crazy, lofty kind that keep you up at night—no coulda, woulda, shoulda goals. “Instead, set smaller, more achievable goals, and when you meet them, continue to push yourself by setting another goal and then another and another,” Bertolucci advises. Pick something you can get done first thing in the day, so you feel a sense of accomplishment early on.

4. Smile

You don’t have to let a bad hour become a bad day or a bad day become a bad week. “Choose to be happy, and smile,” she says. “Most people take happiness for granted. You need to choose to be happy and continually and consistently make choices that keep you happy,” she adds. The difference between a happy person and a not-so-happy person isn’t necessarily their experiences; it’s what they’re doing with their experiences.”