"It’s Monday morning, I’m wrecked, I almost feel jet lagged yet I never left the house yesterday, I’m not even in work but already I’m worried about how to get ahead. I had my Monday morning coffee (the strongest of the week), a quick shower, a good stretch but now as the caffeine high begins to wane and the traffic - oh the traffic, comes to a grinding halt I just wanna go back to bed.."
Does this sound familiar?
Well, here in Magic Moments we have designed our very own Monday Morning Blues Buster pulling together some seemingly unconnected tips from various scientific Blogs that help us beat those blues. Focusing on the key areas: Diet, Physiology & Psychology as the basis for our "new protocol" here are 5 changes that we have made that help us focus more, be more positive, build relations, relax and achieve our goals.
1: Replace Coffee with a Juice.. But not just any juice!
It’s common knowledge that juices are a healthy option in the morning. In fact the mere process of making a juice is healthy as it focus’s the mind and helps you begin to think clearly very quickly. It’s a positive process that creates a positive chain reaction in both mind and body. And they work. But! For a Monday morning you may need an extra kick to get the engine started so we recommend adding something spicey to really get the metabolism going. Try adding Tumeric, Ginger or a chilli pepper to the mix - mix until you are happy if you are looking to create a tasty mix otherwise add til you can really feel the burn. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that has been proven effective against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diseases that speed aging, such as Alzheimer’s and metabolic disorder.This method will wake the body up almost instantly and keep you going all morning. Our mix is: 2 x Carrots, 1 half red pepper, 1 apple and 1 large knob of ginger. Delicious!
2: Turn off the news!
It’s a sad but true fact that news is almost always 90% negative. It stirs up negative emotions and feelings that can often be deep rooted and it can seriously effect your mood.. Every hour.. On the hour!. In most cases the information we receive doesn’t effect us directly and almost certainly has nothing to do with your task ahead: Getting your week of to a positive start. So turn it off and think positive thoughts. Remembering anecdotes from the weekend, a movie you watched or a gig you went to can instantly elevate your mood and prepare you for Tip 3:
3: Open a light-hearted conversation with a friend, colleague or even a stranger.
Generally regarded as the most difficult time to converse with anyone Monday mornings be a cold and lonely place when travelling on public transport. The incessant hmm of inaudible earphone backspill, car horns, snoring and the dreaded yawn! Don’t forget the dreaded yawn! that starts at the front and like a mexican wave rolls around the carriage unconsciously embraced and passed on by unsuspecting fellow passengers. But you can beat this! By communicating with people we release endorphin’s that change our mood. Telling jokes, having the craic and laughing all release chemicals in the brain that can wake us up, lift our moods and make the day a lot more bearable. As well as the positive physiological effects it also helps team morale and could really help someone who may be a bit more fragile than yourself. Once you have gotten that out of the way you can go back to step 2 and get ready for step 4.
4: Smile
Although everybody is unconsciously aware of this fact most never apply it, but when you smile you encourage others to smile too. When you see a smile you react naturally maybe just from positive curiosity in the beginning but at that point its already too late -you’re almost smiling yourself and the chain reaction begins, you’re thinking positive you’re present in the moment and someone is looking at you. It too is infectious and can instantly change the air in a room. It too releases endorphin’s in the brain and redirects your brain to positive thoughts. You will find people are more responsive to you when you smile allowing you to get your point across easier it can be a catalyst for better communications, problem solving and better work place relations. If you take a moment to try even this 1 step you will see the results instantly.
5: And Finally... Music!
It’s everywhere, in our earphones, in the car, on the radio - everywhere! But we rarely ’really’ listen to it let alone choose it. Studies have shown that by playing familiar favorites and upbeat music that we can positively change our mood- but we have to engage in the process - here is what lead author Yuna Ferguson had to say:
She said: ’Our work provides support for what many people already do – listen to music to improve their moods.’ Her study found that when people think to themselves that listening to upbeat music will make them happy before listening to the songs, the songs boost their mood. But if people just listen to upbeat songs, without being consciously aware that they are listening to them in a bid to get happier, the songs themselves have no affect. In her studies she found she was able to positively change peoples moods in the short-term and even effected peoples overall happiness for periods of up to 2 weeks.
So there you have it Magic Moments Monday Morning Blues Buster. We hope that all that made sense to you and we hope should any of the above have a positive effect on your day that you will post a little story below and get a chain reaction started.. Like talking typing a positive story is also a great release. So for now
Happy Monday
From Magic Moments.
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