Women Who Radiate True Joy In Life Swear By These 5 Morning Rituals, According To Psychology
Kickstart some joy into your day every morning.
Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels The small things we do consistently make up our days and shape our lives, which is why learning how to radiate true joy requires daily diligence that is supported by healthy habits, just like anything else you do in life.
One of the best ways to enhance your daily happiness is by incorporating new habits or patterns into your morning routine that support this goal. A study of regularizing daily routine for mental health suggested there are certain practices you can add to your morning routine to set yourself up for an awesome day, every day. So, if you want to learn how to be more joyful, the best place to start is by looking at how you kick off your daily schedule.
Women who radiate true joy in life swear by these morning rituals, according to psychology:
1. Smile at the ceiling
The minute your alarm goes off or when your eyes open, put a smile on your face. Sounds dumb? It’s far from it.
The first thing our brain does in the morning is to look for not only what is wrong in our life right now (like with money and our jobs), but also what it can beat us up for the day before. This is due to a release of cortisol, the stress hormone, from the brain, as shown in research on cortisol awakening response.
When you wake up and smile first thing, we confuse our brain enough so that it doesn’t go into that automatic neurologic programming. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between a fake smile and a real smile. Try it tomorrow and see.
2. Wake up (before your kids, if possible)
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Start your morning by getting up when you say you’ll get up. Meaning, don’t hit snooze.
Set your alarm for the time you want to get up, understanding that when it goes off, your brain will tell you to ignore it and to push snooze. Don’t listen. Pushing the snooze button is a confidence buster. Why? Because you’re letting yourself down in the very first act of your day.
When you set your alarm at night, you have the intention to do something. You consciously choose to start your day in a certain way at a certain time. By pushing snooze, you break your word to yourself. You’re sending a message to yourself first thing in the day that says you don't do what you say you'll do, and you can't depend on yourself.
What happens later in the day when you tell yourself to exercise? Your brain reminds you that you don’t do what you say you’ll do. Remember, our brain is an excuse generator. Don’t let it run the show. Wake up when you say you'll wake up. Choose to do what you say you’re going to do. Keep your word to yourself.
One tool that helps me is the book, The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins. There is brain research as to why this works, but when you get the idea into your head to do anything (in this case, get out of bed), count backwards from 5 and then do it (5,4,3,2,1, action). This simple, yet powerful, tool works to spur me into action.
The importance of waking up before your kids is that you get to have some control over how your morning goes. You can do the things you want to do before the rest of the house wakes up and you’re 'on call'. I’ve been doing this for years, and it allows me to start my day calmer.
3. Move your body
Getting up before my family so that I have time to exercise is one of the kindest things I can do for myself and my family. Why morning? There are two main reasons:
- You get up and go before your brain can spend all day coming up with excuses as to why you shouldn’t exercise. So, get up and go.
- Exercise is my number one tool to combat anxiety and ruminating thoughts. When we move our bodies, we release chemicals in our brain that help us feel calmer and more centered, as evidenced by a study in Neuropsychobiology. Exercise is a huge mood regulator, and what better way to set myself up for success than to get in control of my mood first thing?
When I schedule exercise for later in the day, I have to work harder to manage my mind. Some days, I can't exercise in the morning, but those mornings are few and far between. Commit to yourself and your wellness. Make it happen.
4. Get dressed
Seriously! Go get dressed. Go into your closet and put on some of those clothes that you own. While you’re at it, brush your hair.
There is such power in putting something on other than yoga pants and a messy bun. When you feel better, you act better. A study on how women use daily rituals of dress to recreate themselves pointed out, "In Western physical appearance is integral to our sense of who we are and the presentation of self is a statement of identity as well as a source of social capital and status."
5. Review your day
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Before picking up your phone, look at your calendar (I encourage you to use a paper one) and review how you want your day to go.
Ask yourself these powerful questions:
- What are the top one to three things that I want to get done today?
- How do I want to feel today?
- How do I want to act today?
Look at your calendar and see if what you have written aligns with your above answers. Life will happen: kids can be sick or meetings come up at work, but when we start the day with intention and a plan, we are calmer, get more done, and are closer to living in alignment with why we are here.
Get a vision for your day before you see which notifications came in overnight on your phone. Our phone makes us feel everything is urgent — that e-mail from a friend or co-worker. Do you need to respond to your top three things you want to get done today?
What usually happens is that other people’s emergencies take over our lives. If you habitually put your day on hold because of someone else’s need, you will end up feeling resentment and living in a state of being bitter and sour. There is another way.
Another helpful tip: Choose how often you'll look at your phone. If you want to take extra special control of your mood, be deliberate about how often you’ll look at your phone (and why you’ll be looking). Ask yourself before looking at your phone: "What are you doing?"
Studies on the impact of smartphone use on circadian rhythm, sleep, and alertness have shown that people who look at their phones in the morning are less efficient during the day. That doesn’t even address the emotional roller coaster our phone can have on us when we look at social media and see someone’s perfectly clean kitchen or put-together outfit. It’s up to us to take responsibility for our days and our moods.
How do you want to feel? How do you feel after looking at Facebook or Instagram? How do you feel after scanning your email? I write my phone time on my calendar.
When will I be checking Instagram? When will I be checking business email (twice a day)? When will I be checking personal email (once a week!)? When will I be checking the news? Weather? Any other apps (and why?).
Bring intentionality back into your life, and you will be rewarded by feeling more in control. Ever since I’ve written my phone time onto my calendar, I feel calmer and more in control of my days.
So, now that you know how to be happy in life and how to find happiness, you can start shifting how your days start. This is a great time to step back, push pause, and look at how you’re living out this one precious life you have.
This is what this "mindful living" thing is about — pausing to check in with yourself and your values to see if you’re living the life you want to be living.
If you’re not, it’s up to you to figure out why not. I believe in you. You've got this.
Susie Pettit is a mindfulness-based cognitive coach and podcast host. She coaches women to live a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.
