Good Day Guide
Think Happy Thoughts
A positive frame of mind can help you sleep better and sleeping better can, in turn, help put you in a positive frame of mind - it's all one big happy continuous cycle!
If you struggle to sleep and it affects your mood, don't despair. We've got some great tips on improving your mood to improve your sleep, which will improve your mood and...well you get the picture!
The stresses and strains of modern life can mean that a bit of "me-time" is often pretty low on your list of priorities, but there are little things you can do that should fit into even the most hectic of lifestyles.
- Don't feel guilty about making some time for yourself at the weekends and evenings, you deserve it!
- Try not to check your work emails or do business at the weekends or in your leisure time.
- Keeping a diary can help clear your mind of the day's events and stop you running over them in your mind at night (when you should be sleeping!).
- A daily "to do" list will help organise your mind by setting out clearly all the things you need to get done. Once completed throw it away and feel a sense of achievement.
- They say laughter is the best medicine. So listen to a radio programme or watch a comedy show that makes you laugh and feel your mood instantly lift.
- Enjoy the company of good friends; sometimes even when you don't feel like socialising it can really lift your mood to be around people who make you laugh.
- Getting lost in a good book is a great way to take your mind off daily worries and is also preferable to television in terms of expanding the mind and helping prepare the mind for sleep.
Finally, meditation can be a fantastic way of clearing the mind and creating a sense of mental wellbeing. You don't have to be a particularly spiritual person to give it a go either, just follow our simple steps to practising basic mediation:
- Find a quiet place where you can practise undisturbed.
- Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
- Close your eyes and concentrate on your stomach, feeling it rise and fall as you breathe.
- Focus on each breath and try not to let your mind wander.
- If your mind does wander, simply bring it back to concentrating on your breathing and on your stomach rising and falling.
Practise for 15 minutes a day for one week and, if you enjoy it or feel any calming benefits, continue to do so for as long as you like!