There is an art to waking well since getting a great start to your day can have a positive impact that last until your bedtime, so here are some scientifically proven tips to get a sunnier, brighter and more positive start to your day!

1. Orange

Drinking a glass of fresh orange juice in the morning has a positive effect on your waking hours. Not only does the orange color subconsciously remind us a bright, warm sun, but it is also high in folic acid and vitamin B6 which have been been found to be lacking in people suffering depression. Coupled with drinking orange juice, try smelling some orange aromatherpathy products. The scent of orange essential oils, according to a Brazilian study, reduced anxiety (and its effects last until after lunch!)

2. Flowers

While we’re on the subject of titillating your senses, its worth mentioning that Harvard Medical School’s Nancy Etcoff found that women who see flowers when they awaken report feeling happier, more content and less anxious! Some psychologists suggest this is because we have a subconscious association with flowers that works on many levels, for example as a reward for doing something well, or as a sign that things can grow and therefore that’s a good thing. Whatever the reason, it’s been suggested that the sight of colorful flowers in the morning has a positive impact on your day, so next time your at the supermarket pick up some colorful flowers and give it a go.

3. Exercise (outdoors)

Exercise, sleep and nutrition are 3 sides of the same triangle. The better you do at the one, the better and more motivated you will be at achieving in the others!

Researchers have found that just 5-8 minutes of exercising outdoors enhances your mood and boosts your self-esteem since cardio exercise wakes up your heart and doing it outdoors increases the effects! Find those 5 minutes to make your morning sunnier!

4. Sleep on your right side

Although this one is hard to believe, its been found by Turkish researchers that not only do men and women who usually sleep on their right side report to feel better rested, that also have more relaxing, and less anxious dreams, tending to dream more about joy, relief and love than their counterparts who sleep on their left.

It’s been hypothesized that this is because sleeping on your left side puts more pressure on your lungs and stomach, than sleeping on your right.

5. Positive Thoughts (the night before)

It’s been proven that sleep makes memories more vivid, so anything that happens just before sleep remains in our memories more than if it happens during the day. It’s been suggested there is an evolutionary reason for this, namely to ensure if bad things happen to us we learn from them, yet if they happen during the stay we can still function. Eitherway, the key point is to think happy thoughts before you sleep. Don’t go to bed angry or cry yourself to sleep, or watch a horror film or read a sad book, but think happy thoughts, read an uplifting, inspirational book instead. Those ‘nicer’ memories will stay with you until the morning. If you have upsetting thoughts before bedtime, its recommended by scientists to stay awake a little longer after the upsetting experience to neutralize some of the emotion, rather than going to sleep immediately since that helps preserve the emotional experience.

6. Intimacy

There is a lot currently being written about the benefits of Oxytocin – and that will covered in a later post – but for now its worth mentioning that its been found to be beneficial for men and women and that being intimate with your partner helps boosts your levels of this hormone. So finding time in the morning – not suprisingly – is another way to make the start to your day sunnier. You will feel more alive and self confident throughout the day.

These 6 simply tips can help you have a good morning, and the benefits last to make it a good afternoon. If you can’t begin with all 6, simply choose 1 and add it to your daily routine.

Namaste

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