I don’t think I’m the only person who has conflicted feelings about my job. I love what I do and find great fulfillment in the real estate profession. Where else can you play so many roles all at the same time – parent, counselor, psychologist, social worker, etc.
But like most jobs, it’s not all a bed of roses – problems, stress, frustration, disappointment, anger are emotions we may confront on a daily basis.
I find that mornings, before actually officially beginning my day, can be difficult, when my “quiet time” is interrupted by imagining all kinds of negative possibilities. I know there are methods for training one’s mind in order to develop a calm mental state.
But are there actual practices I can adopt that will also help? Here’s what an interesting article had to say:
Mornings can be hard, but they don’t have to be. In fact, it’s likely our before work routine could be causing us to start the day off on the wrong foot. If we can avoid a few bad habits before work, it can set us on a better course for the day. Here are seven things we should never do in the morning on a work day.
1. Don’t hit the snooze
Yes, sometimes getting out of bed in the morning can feel like a Herculean feat. Hitting the snooze button is an unhealthy habit that we should break for two reasons: It actually makes our morning rougher because we’re drowsier from those extra minutes of sleep, and those few extra minutes can even cause us to be late.
Instead, we should try going to sleep a little earlier to avoid hitting the snooze or keep our alarm clock or smartphone far enough away from our bed that we’re forced to get up to shut it off.
2. Don’t check emails
Do not check emails (or our social media accounts) until we get to work. Why should we wait? Because when we first wake up, we haven’t really started our day yet — why upset ourselves with unanswered work emails before we get to the office?
A psychologist says that most of us are guilty of checking our emails while our heads are still on our pillows which sets our day off to a negative start. And if we’re responding to an email when we’re half awake we’re more likely to make mistakes.
3. Don’t shower in the morning
While a cold shower can wake us up, how many of us actually take cold showers before heading to work? We’re probably taking a really hot shower and spending more time in there than we normally would because we may be trying to put off going to work. That relaxing feeling we have is the problem — the heat from our steamy shower is telling our nervous system that it’s time for our muscles to relax. Our heart rate then slows down, and we can end up feeling more tired, according to a psychiatrist.
4. Don’t rummage through the closet
One of the best things we can do the night before work is lay out what we’re going to wear the next day. Those early morning hours invite enough chaos and we should do our best not to add to it. We should plan our outfit the night before. Doing this will actually leave us extra time to sleep longer if we plan accordingly.
5. Don’t eat refined carbohydrates
Bagels are great and loaded with cream cheese is even better, but sadly research shows that loading up on refined carbs in the morning (those made with white flour) make us more likely to spring for junkier foods throughout the day.
6. Don’t brush teeth after eating
Brushing your teeth after breakfast actually sounds kind of gross: Who wants to taste food and coffee with lingering morning breath? Brushing our teeth after breakfast can push sugars to the surface of our teeth and eventually erode your enamel. Instead, Family Dental Tips recommends brushing our teeth immediately after waking up.
7. Don’t leave with just enough time
One final thought. Taking all of these “don’ts” into consideration, we shouldn’t leave our house in the morning with just enough time to make it into the office. Instead, we should try and give ourselves a little cushion time to account for any mishaps; this will allow for a smooth morning.
OK, so most of these suggestions are no brainers and, I must confess, I don’t do any of the “don’ts”, they’re just not part of my daily routine. But these “don’ts” seem to make a lot of sense and are useful to consider.
That said, however, I still have those uneasy feelings in the morning. What to do? Maybe I need to find routines for evenings before I go to bed . . . sort of reverse the time frame and see if that helps!
Courtesy Taryn Brooke, Yahoo Health
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