Are you suffering from sleep deprivation, anxiety, low mood and struggle to get up with a smile and see the positive in the day?

Here’s 5 simple ways you can set up your day to make it go from crappy to happy…

1. LET THERE BE LIGHT..

   As soon as you wake up open up the curtains and blind and if its not too cold open a few windows. Natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythms and the light can make you feel more uplifted.

2. GROUND YOURSELF WITH NATURE

   Get outside in to the fresh air and let your feet, yes your bare feet touch the earth. If you can’t spend a long time out there just at least let the sunlight touch your skin, your feet touch the earth and your lungs breathe in the fresh air for a few minutes. While you’re there do some breathing exercises. Breathing correctly after a night of no sleep with help set you up for the day in a better breathing pattern.

   Only got 1 minute? Step outside on to the ground take one huge breath in and out and head back into the chaos… hopefully just that quick hit can help !!

   HERES SOME BREATHING EXERCISES YOU CAN TRY.

3. MEDITATE

   I know I talk about it all the time but honestly giving yourself 10minutes to meditate can do wonders for your mental state, your mind and your body. Use an app like “CALM” or you can YouTube search “10 minute guided meditation for stress/anxiety/positivity” etc..

4. NUTRITION

   After a night of no sleep and low mood your body often craves sugar or a quick fix but avoiding high sugar and processed foods when you’re feeling low or tired is your best bet to help you.

   Although you may get a quick high from a sugary treat the crash and come down after will have you feeling much worse than before. Its also important to make sure you don’t skip meals when you’re feeling this way (Im so guilty of this). Something I make sure I do if I’ve had a bad night sleep is have a green smoothie for breakfast – pack it full of goodness including spinach, kale, zucchini, protein and or collagen! Eat nice warm nourishing foods like soups that are easy for your body to digest and full of goodness.

5. BE GENTLE AND KIND TO YOURSELF

   Don’t expect too much of yourself and treat yourself the way you would treat a friend. Avoid making big decisions and doing major tasks if your brain just isn’t up to it. Don’t pick yourself a part and just do what you need to get through the day. Take a short nap if you can at some point and have a cup of herbal tea or warm water when ever you need a quick pick me up.

6. DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING

   Put on your favourite tunes and have a dance party. It’s amazing what some music and movement can do for your body. You can even do it with the wiggles or be your best Elsa and “let it go” with your kids!

7. EXERCISE OR WALK

   Avoid high intensity workouts after a night of no sleep or if you’re super stressed which will only cause extra stress hormones like cortisol to rise and instead opt for something more gentle like yoga, pilates or stretching and a nice walk outdoors.

8. COFFEE … But not too much

   A small amount of coffee is fine but try to avoid too much caffeine which can lead to increased anxiety, jitters and sleeping issues when it comes bed time. And definitely avoid energy drinks which are packed full of chemicals and sugar. Instead opt for herbal teas and lots and lots of water for hydration.

9. DO SOMETHING FOR YOU

   Listen to your fave podcast, read a magazine, give yourself a face mask etc. Do whatever you need to make you feel a lil more YOU! This can even be done with the babies around – pop on your face mask while you’re doing the lunches or pop on your podcast while you drive to the shops or to kindy drop off.

10. WRITE A LIST

    When your tired, stressed or sleep deprived your memory is at its worst. Write a quick list of thing you need to do that day but don’t add to many unnecessary tasks. Having a little control and ticking off a few things will make you feel more productive and won’t have you in a frazzle when you get to the end of the day and forgotten something that needed doing that day.

11. JOURNAL AND PRACTICE GRATITUDE

    These are things I do every day but if you don’t do them daily or weekly you can find them extremely beneficial on the days you’re not feeling your best. Ill pop the link to my journal BLOG HERE and you can learn more about journaling, how to and also download a free template to practice your journaling and gratitudes.