My #1 Secret to Starting the Day Upbeat ...
And staying happy all day, despite what life throws at me, is my snooze dream time. When I hit the snooze button (usually several times), I purposefully and deliberately imagine an adventure that thrills me and makes me smile.
Ever have one of those days when you woke up grumpy; grumpily got out of bed; begrudgedly took a shower and got dressed (or maybe stayed in your PJ’s). As the day went by, you got grumpier. Food didn’t taste right. Some overly cheerful person annoyingly tried to remind you that you should be happy because you didn’t have some rare Asian flu or zika virus and all you wanted to do was throw the computer screen at that person. And sometimes several of these days got strung together. Well, I have, and looking back, what a waste of my life! I can’t get back those minutes, hours or days. So, now I make a point to try not to let that happen to me.
I set my alarm purposefully about 15-20 minutes earlier than I really need to get up so I can hit the snooze button at least 2 or 3 times. I hardly ever actually go back to full sleep, but I do end up in a light awareness stage during this snooze time. I use that dream-like mildy aware state to control my mind and imagination.
I can pretend I'm racing in the Kentucky Derby ...
or flying a fighter jet across the heavens.
Lately, I’ve been surfing some incredible waves and experiencing the thrill of riding a big wave. I even get inside a barrel. Fortunately I’ve seen enough video shots from inside a wave to know what it looks like so I imagine it’s me. In winter I have some incredible ski runs.
Studies have shown that the brain doesn’t fully know the difference between an experience I’m imagining or actually doing, so I let my brain experience dropping that big wave and getting barreled. The endorphins, adrenaline and whatever other chemicals that make me happy are released. By the time snoozing is over, I have endorphins pulsing through my veins. I wake up and start the day smiling and in a good mood. So I’m thinking I should do this every morning to assure that I have a good positive start to the day. Of course, there have been days I forget or somehow the snooze time didn’t work out as planned. But I have been practicing this secret for quite some time now and it is becoming a reliable habit.
TODAY’S HOW TO
When life is getting me down for one reason or another, more reason to do this. My grumpiness is not going to help me solve any of life’s problems or deal with what is in store for me today. Nor will it motivate me to do what needs to be done. I might as well at least feel good, even as a tree is falling on my roof. Some things just can’t be helped or avoided. But I can control how I feel at the moment I get up every morning. And I’ve discovered I can control how I feel all day. And oddly, by feeling good, I find myself better equipped to handle and solve problems faster and better.