It is easy for obstacles to get in the way. Maybe you slept badly, your alarm went off late or spilled coffee on your shirt. Whatever reason, it almost feels easier to give up on the idea of a positive morning.

Starting your day on a positive note can help shift you into a positive mindset so you can tackle whatever the day throws at you. And whether you’re an early bird or a late riser, here are some simple strategies you can use to start your day off on a positive note.

Try a morning meditation

Do you ever have those mornings where from the second you wake up you feel like you’re in a rush? From running out of bed to frantically getting ready, it feels like you’re already stressed before you start your day. Enter morning meditation. Before your brain even has time to think about the stresses of the day, meditation can help you feel centered and enter the day with a positive mindset.

Morning meditations have been shown to boost mood, improve focus, and productivity, and lower levels of stress and anxiety (and manage stress and anxiety levels later in the day). Meditating in the morning can also help you increase your focus and productivity for the day ahead.

Here are some great types of meditation that you can try when you wake up.

• Body scan meditation
• Gratitude meditation
• Deep breathing meditation

If you don’t know where to start, try looking up guided meditation videos and audio online to find the style and length that work for you. Remember, these don’t have to be 30-minute long meditations. Think about how much time you would realistically be able to spend in the morning meditating, and stick to that (even if it’s just a couple of minutes).

Use positive affirmations in the morning

Affirmations are words, phrases, or statements people use to help challenge negative thoughts. Affirmations may seem intimidating or even downright awkward when you first try them. But affirmations have been shown to reduce stress, control negative self-talk, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and more.

Positive affirmations are a great way to shift your mindset in the morning to focus on things you care about. The best part about affirmations is that they can be tailored to your goals. For example, you can use affirmations specifically for success, better self-esteem, self-love, and more. Here are some examples of affirmations to use in the morning from The Good Trade

• I have everything I need to succeed
• I practice gratitude for all that I have, and all that is yet to come
• I release the fears that do not serve me

Other tips to help you have a positive morning

• Improve your sleep quality so you wake up feeling refreshed
• Put on music that makes you feel happy to release dopamine, the “feel-good” neurochemical
• Eat a healthy breakfast to nourish and energise your body
• Write down a list of things you are grateful for (you can also try a gratitude meditation)
• Make your bed to feel accomplished first thing in the morning
• Make your morning routine realistic: doing one positive activity (like exercising or saying affirmations) is better than none

It’s easy to get caught up trying to create a ‘perfect’ morning routine, but remember - that doesn’t exist! Realistically, no one can have a positive morning every morning (we’re human after all). But the more you use the tools that put you in a positive mindset, the easier it will be to practice them at any time of the day.