April 22, 2024

6 Bad Ways To Start Your Day

Each morning allows us the opportunity to begin the day with gusto and a winning attitude. Sometimes though, our hectic lives, challenges, and habits get in the way, and we forget to take care of ourselves.

This daily ongoing pattern can harm a person’s health and damper enthusiasm and energy, making us less productive throughout the day. You can get on the path to a great day every day by avoiding the following pitfalls.
1. Not Enough Sleep the Night Before
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Without sufficient sleep, you may feel depressed, irritable, and have trouble making decisions; overall, you just don’t feel good. Sleep is crucial for good health. If you have trouble sleeping, the following tips may help.

• Establish a consistent sleep pattern by going to bed and getting up at the same time daily.
• Practice a relaxing activity before bedtime. For example, listen to calming music or try deep breathing.
• Avoid food three hours before going to sleep to prevent an upset stomach and trips to the bathroom.
• Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening and alcohol close to bedtime.
• Limit naps to no more than 30 minutes; early afternoon is best. Otherwise, you will not be able to sleep well at night.
• Minimize bright lights.

2. Negative News and Checking Your Phone
Reading or viewing something negative in the morning can trigger anxiety. This might be in the form of TV, newspaper, using social media, or reading emails and can impact how you face the day. Resist the urge until at least a bit later in the day.

3. Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast fuels your body and brain; it’s an effective way to kick off your day. Studies have shown that test subjects who ate breakfast had increased blood glucose resulting in improved memory function. In addition, a healthy breakfast boosts your energy level and alertness and provides essential nutrients for good health.

Although donuts and other sweets for breakfast are a real treat, they don’t contribute to a healthy breakfast. Donuts are packed with calories and sugar. Too much sugar can lead to a blood sugar spike caused by your body releasing massive amounts of insulin. This may give you an energy boost, but the inevitable “crash” isn’t worth it.

A healthy breakfast consists of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats. Limit your consumption of processed foods (including cereal), which have significant sugar and lack nutrients.

Examples of foods to include in a healthy breakfast are fruits or vegetables, whole grains, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and healthy fats found in sausage and bacon.

4. Lack of Natural Light
Morning light helps to control our circadian rhythms, which are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. Scientific evidence links early-day bright light exposure to improved mental health, better mood, and enhanced cognitive abilities.

Suppose that the sun isn’t out when you wake up in the morning. In that case, you can try a “wake-up light,” which simulates sunlight by gradually brightening the room. You can find a wide variety of affordable wake-up lights by searching the Internet.

5. Smoking
The Intramural Research Program (IRP) researchers have found that smoking a cigarette within five minutes of waking up increases the risk of lung cancer more than three times. If a person wants to continue to smoke, an important step is to stop having a cigarette just after waking up.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ system of the body”. Moreover, here may be a link between smoking and mental health, but more research is needed to establish a causal link between the two.
6. Arguing and Bickering
Nothing is more draining on our mental health than arguing and bickering with someone first thing in the morning. Whether it’s a loved one, a friend, or an unexpected situation, arguing early in the morning puts you in a terrible mood for the rest of the day, not to mention the impact on your energy level and outlook.
If early-morning conflicts arise, take a deep breath, be calm, and explain that the conversation must be delayed until later. If the other party continues the bantering, temporarily excuse yourself and go to a quiet spot inside or outside where you can recompose yourself and reset your attitude for the remainder of the day.
Conclusion

Old habits can be hard to break but they can be broken with repetition and patience. Avoid the bad ways to start your day and replace them with positive daily rituals that will energize and motivate you to conquer the next 24 hours.

dhf

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