7 Useful Practices to Kick Start Your Day

Our hectic lifestyles often have us running around in circles wondering what to do next. It's not that we don't have an agenda in place; it's that we often feel scattered or derailed when a wrench is thrown into the plans.

Here are 7 useful practices to kick start your day no matter what happens to threaten your sanity! You can implement some, one, or any combination of them into your daily routine. Either way it's bound to give you a boost!

Here's how to kick start your day:

1. Upon rising take a minute or two to stretch.  

According to the Mayo Clinic, stretching increases muscle flexibility, which improves daily  performance and  overall movement. It also increases blood flow to your muscles and your brain, while at the same it relaxes you, thus easing tension and stress. 

2. Take a moment for mindfulness reflection.
After stretching, slow down your breathing by taking in a few deep breaths and then concentrate on how you feel, what you see, and what you smell. Not only will being mindful sharpen your senses, it will help prepare you for the day ahead by increasing your awareness and ability to focus.

3. Have a little book of inspirational quotes or passages handy.
Have some inspirational quotes handy from which you can choose one appropriate for the day ahead. For example:

"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." Francis Bacon "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength, but through persistence." Buddha

Whose day wouldn't hold promise with a fresh, bold attitude to begin it?

4. Visualize a successful outcome for the day. 
Go over what you want to accomplish for the day and visualize it turning out well. Of course there are always little glitches to contend with, so see yourself dealing successfully with anything that may threaten to get in the way. Visualizing is a great way to anticipate what lies ahead and alerts you to any possibilities. Indeed, research has shown that both physical and psychological reactions in certain situations can be significantly improved with visualization. An advantage indeed!

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5. Take a moment for gratitude.
Acknowledge all the good things you have going for you – your health, your family, your opportunities and everything else going well in your life. When you appreciate what you have, somehow more good things find their way to you. Likewise, studies have shown that maintaining a sense of gratitude can help you sustain a more positive mood and sense of well being throughout the day.

6. Let go of any negative thoughts or grudges you may be harboring.
Know that harboring ill feelings or negativity towards someone will only drag you down and prevent you from being at your best. Keeping your head clear will leave room for creativity and all the productive things you want to accomplish for the day.
Letting go and forgiving others is also good for your heart. A study from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found forgiveness and letting go to be associated with a lower heart rate and blood pressure as well as relieving stress. Having a healthy heart and mind would certainly help anyone’s overall performance on a daily basis.

7. Come up with a personal positive affirmation to motivate you.
Invent a slogan, or saying, that pertains to you and will inspire you to be at your best. It could be something like, "I endeavor to make a positive difference whenever I can," or, "Challenges help me grow". It has been shown that positive affirmations (realistic ones, of course) serve as a great tool to program your subconscious mind to help you perform well and have aproductive mindset.

As many athletes, performers, business people and politicians can attest to, there are many little techniques you can employ to help you rise to an occasion - in this case to positively kick start your day. So why not begin every day with these  helpful little practices?