Day 8: Mental Well-Being Monday (is it possible?)

So far in my blog I have focused on physical well-being, which obviously has links to mental well-being. But what about things that can be done specifically to improve one's outlook and mood? As I turned off my 6 am alarm this morning I felt the usual rush of unpleasant sensations and thoughts; "it's too early, I feel like I need at least another hour of sleep", "god my hips and back hurt. Getting out of bed is going to be painful", "the dogs are pinning me down and they won't MOVE", "Ugh. It's Monday."

At 6 am it doesn't feel like there's anything good about the day, and nothing to look forward to. My routine is very tight on weekdays. I need to get out of bed immidiately and hop in the shower so I can be ready by 7 am. Then I wake up my daughter and get some food into her before her bus arrives. She's no more of a morning person than I am, so this doubles the challenge. The dogs must be let out and back in (and retrieved if they decide to bark at the neighbors, which is most of the time.) I need to find some clothes to wear that look half decent.  I don't know why I don't lay them out the night before. I just can't seem to do that consistently. And of course I need to find the time to make my cinnamon-honey tea now, and a big mug of coffee to take to work. (Part of my New Year's resolution was to stop buying my coffee every morning so I'd save a few bucks.) WOW....was that enough whining yet? Believe me, an hour later my mood is usually drastically improved and the dark thoughts I have upon rising are far behind me. I know I have it good compared to many, many people; it just feels like my bad morning mood is difficult to overcome.

On that topic, I am going to implement a few simple things that won't take away from my time but will hopefully make it easier to wake up in a decent mood. First of all, instead of rolling (literally) out of bed and hobbling painfully to the bathroom, I will take a few seconds to stretch and take some deep breathes. Second, I have a drawer full of essential oils that I mostly use when I'm making homemade cleaners (I'll do an entry on that sometime soon.) But essential oils can also be used to great effect when you need to alter your mood or combat fatigue. Citrus and minty scents are particularly useful for those purposes. They can be applied sparingly as a perfume or put in a spray bottle. Third, I will ensure that I have a full water bottle ready when I wake up. I often have dry mouth, but am too rushed to go downstairs for a glass. It's amazing how a good drink of water can perk a person up. And finally, I will have peppy, upbeat music playing as I'm going through my morning routine. Hopefully with these measures I will have a more cheerful morning tomorrow, and for all the Mondays yet to come.

Happy Monday!!