Do you ever have bad mornings? Here are four tried-and-true ways to turn a bad morning into a pretty good day….
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Clear Your Head
Step away from your desk or work area. Pry your fingers off that keyboard or phone screen, and head to the nearest exit. Use the 20 minutes or so you’d normally spend surfing the Internet and instead, get outside and enjoy some fresh air with a walk around the block. (Studies have shown even 20 minutes of exercise like walking can boost happiness, reduce risk of disease and improve memory). The benefits may last you all day long.
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Laugh
Laughing is almost always guaranteed to get you out of your current slump, it helps to put things in perspective, and it not only costs you nothing – but also has major stress relief benefits. It even may be contagious: If you find something funny (and work-appropriate) that gets you back on your A-game, why not spread the love and share it with colleagues to give them a boost?
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Do Something Nice for Others
There are many simple, but meaningful ways to improve the day of those around you – and it’s a proven fact that helping others actually raises your own happiness levels. Short on time but big on heart? Try the “Five-Minute Favor”: Take just a few minutes a day to do something small but with big benefits to the recipient. This could mean buying a co-worker a cup of coffee, making it a point to say hello to people you pass in the hallway, writing an email to thank someone for his or her efforts on a project, or giving a friend or stranger an encouraging comment. It’s a small commitment for you, but may mean a lot to them.
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Be Kind to Yourself
It’s important to be kind to yourself and realize that everyone has a bad day now and then – and we all make clumsy mistakes. Give yourself a break! Consider treating yourself to a coffee from that fancy coffee shop down the street . Whatever your happy place is, get yourself there, even for a few minutes: It may just be the indulgence you need to get past that morning’s horrors and face the rest of the day… and then do it all again tomorrow.