Positive Attitude 5 Things NOT to Do in The Morning if You Want A Good Day - and What to Do Instead By Ashley Ellington Brown Your current morning routine could be adversely affecting your quality of life. Set yourself up for success by replacing these harmful habits with actions that empower you to create a life you love. So, determine that you WONΓÇÖT: Hit the snooze button. ΓÇ£Sleeping inΓÇ¥ by hitting snooze can actually make you feel more sluggish, and getting up at the last minute makes you feel rushed. How you begin the day affects the rest of it. When you start off out of control, youΓÇÖll be frazzled all day. Set your alarm for a reasonable time, then get up when it goes off. If youΓÇÖre so tired that this feels impossible, try to go to sleep earlier the night Jump out of bed right away. Taking a moment to come gently awake before you get out of bed can make an enormous difference. Once you stop hitting snooze, youΓÇÖll have a few extra minutes. Spend them breathing slowly and deeply. DonΓÇÖt think about your to-do list or anything stressful. Just concentrate on your breath. You can repeat a calming word or phrase in your head, like ΓÇ£peaceΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£I am grateful for this day.ΓÇ¥ Add a few stretches if you like. Then slowly get up. This practice puts you in a mindset of mindfulness, helping you stay centered and calm. Massage and yoga therapist Stacy Wooster says, ΓÇ£The morning sets the tone for the whole day. If we get up and are ΓÇÿgo, go, goΓÇÖ right away, thatΓÇÖs the pace for the rest of the day. If we can begin in a more conscious way, we are able to make choices that are more aware. ItΓÇÖs a totally different feel. And all the small choices add up; itΓÇÖs the subtle things that really change our lives.ΓÇ¥ She recommends to ΓÇ£take ten slow breaths while youΓÇÖre still in bed. Then when you sit up, put your feet on the floor and feel them there. The feet have a lot of nerve endings; paying attention to how they feel on the floor helps you be more aware of your body and grounds you.ΓÇ¥ Check your phone first thing. This is so common, and so detrimental. One study found that 80% of smartphone usersΓÇöthatΓÇÖs 4 out of 5 peopleΓÇöcheck their phone within an hour of waking up. And 35% do it within the first five minutes! Why is this harmful? Checking social media, texts, or email often makes you tense and anxious. It can also put you in a reactive state, where youΓÇÖre dealing with other peopleΓÇÖs issues. When you do that before youΓÇÖve had a chance to set your own agenda, youΓÇÖre essentially handing control of your day over to others. Author and coach Patricia Charpentier says, ΓÇ£If I get sucked into checking email first, IΓÇÖm gone. Then IΓÇÖm in multitasking mode and IΓÇÖm hopping from thing to thing. A set practice helps me focus on one item at a time. IΓÇÖm more mindful of my choices and where IΓÇÖm putting my time and energy.ΓÇ¥ Instead of looking at your phone, do something calming and uplifting. Make a list of what youΓÇÖre grateful for. Read something inspiring. Listen to music that evokes joy. One way to avoid temptation is to stop using your phone as your alarm. Get an alarm clock instead, and keep your phone in another room. Some people also put it on airplane mode so they wonΓÇÖt see any notifications even if they pick it up. Do something ΓÇ£good for youΓÇ¥ because you think you should, not because you want to. People may say that meditation is the most transformational practice there is, but if it makes you crazy, itΓÇÖs not the practice for you. Ditto with exercise, or journaling. I talked to more than twenty successful women about their morning rituals, and they all emphasized this: be true to yourself. Do something that meets yourneeds and makes youhappy. ItΓÇÖs not good for you if it doesnΓÇÖt make you feel good. Stay up late. OK, this is actually something to avoid in the evening, but it has a major effect on your morning. You wonΓÇÖt be your best if you donΓÇÖt get enough sleep; itΓÇÖs essential to good health. Set your bedtime early enough so that you wake up feeling rested. An hour beforehand, turn off all screens and start to wind down. Some ideas: take a bath, read, do some stretches, write down all your worries so they donΓÇÖt keep you up. Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark (that phone isnΓÇÖt in there, is it?). Then enjoy the bliss of a good nightΓÇÖs sleep, and see how much better it makes your morning! Start your day on your terms. Take control of your day before it takes control of you, and reap the benefits.