This Morning Choice Will Improve Your Mood

Choose How You Want To Be

© Joanne Edwards @Purposeful Wellbeing

The alarm has signalled it’s time to get up. Often, our brain takes it as the signal to immediately begin thinking about all the things we need to do today!

Before we have even pulled back those nice warm covers, our minds are already skipping ahead to today’s staff meeting, or the unfinished project that’s waiting, or the need to stop at the supermarket on the way to work.

Stop.

Breathe.

You have a choice right now.

What you think about in the precious few moments before getting out of bed sets the tone for your whole morning and possibly the rest of your day.

Before thinking about all that you need to do, try thinking about what you value.

It starts by firstly recognising your personal values. How do you want to exist in the world? Do you value kindness? Love? Respect? Honesty? Laughter? Authenticity? If you’re not exactly sure what your personal values are, consider the adjectives you would like to hear a friend use to describe you. Would you like to hear that you are kind? Loving? Genuine? Trustworthy? Fun to be around? Adventurous? Faithful?

We only get one day at a time.

So each morning, take a moment to consider how you want to be today.

Sure, you will also need to think about what you need to do for the day ahead, but for now, it can wait. Right now, before you get out of bed, just take a few seconds and choose to think about the specific value you want to live by today.

Just one.

Perhaps one of your personal values is being a loving person. So before getting out of bed, ask yourself, “How can I be loving today?” What is one specific small actionable thing that I can do to show someone today that I am a loving person? It might be the decision to give your spouse an unexpected hug, or to text an encouragement to a friend as you eat your breakfast, or to wave at the neighbour over the road whose ususally backing out of their driveway at the same time as you.

You get the idea.

A small, simple choice toward values-driven, committed action that you play out in your mind before you even get out of bed.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. Just choose one value you want to live by today. Once this choice becomes a morning habit before you get out of bed, it can make a world of difference in improving your mood at the very start of each day.

So I encourage you to choose how you want to be today, and intentionally sprinkle that one specific value throughout your day.

If you’re like me, you may need a reminder. Write it on your hand if you need to! But commit to action and just do it.

This concept comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and if you’d like to learn more about how values-driven committed action can be implemented to help you live a rich and meaningful life, please contact Purposeful Wellbeing. :)