28 Jan Wake up happy and spring into action
It’s easier to get out of bed in the morning when dawn breaks and the sunlight seeps in through the gaps in your curtains. It’s tough to get motivated when darkness is everywhere!
Bursting with vitality
It’s exciting when spring is just around the corner because the time of year encourages you to spring out of bed and bounce into your day. It’s as though you are coming out of hibernation and emerging into days filled with more energy and abundance. Even the colour bursts erupting from spring flowers help. Dancing yellow daffodils, bobbing blue bells, happy hyacinths and trumpeting tulips. It’s bliss when spring is so close.
What does springtime mean to you?
Spring for me is all about new life and feeling alive with births, new ideas, fresh energy and a clean page to write a new story and create a new adventure.
I realise that for some young people (and those young at heart) my enthusiasm might seem a bit over the top.
Bounce out of bed in the morning? Really? It takes effort to roll out of bed after whacking the alarm for the sixth time. If this is you, keep reading to explore how to wake up happy and want to leap into your day!
What wakes you up?
Let me start by asking you a question: “How do you know when it is time to wake up?”
Is it the sound of the birds singing outside your window, the gentle rays of sunshine peeping into your room or (which is more likely) is it the harsh sound of an alarm, the shouting of a parent or the jumping on your bed by a younger sibling or a slobbering pet?
The thought of an alarm buzzing harshly or someone screaming at me to get out of bed isn’t exactly encouraging nor is it a great way to start your day, so let’s think about how to reset the morning wakeup routine for a better awakening.
I’ve written blogs about the importance of getting enough sleep, eating healthily and trying relaxing, stress-reducing activities such as meditation and practicing mindfulness. Check out some of the past blogs to help your body clock work more efficiently.
For now, let’s take a look at how to wake up happy.
How to wake up happy
The sound that wakes you up is important because it can set the scene for the entire day.
Invest in a day light alarm clock, which gradually makes your room lighter by simulating the natural process of a new day breaking. Gentle sounds emerge as the wake-up noise so that they are far from alarming, which helps to create a positive mood.
What about waking up to something happy, bright and energetic like a cheerful song? What’s your favourite happy song? One that always makes you smile and is almost hypnotic in making you sing and dance.
Here’s my top ten as a little inspiration:
1. Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida’
Get up ruling the world – what a great thought to wake up to.
2. Katrina & The Waves – ‘Walking on Sunshine’
Such as classic tune and I dare you not to smile, move and sing along to this one!
3. The Vamps – ‘Wake Up’
You’ve been deep in a coma – apt first words ☺ So wake up your sleeping heart and we will dream a dream for us that one else can touch!
Ok, so maybe the connection isn’t there with these songs, but these are surely spot on…
4. Pharrell Williams – ‘Happy’
It might seem crazy what I’m ’bout to say… what a great way to start the day!
5. Avicii – ‘Wake Me Up
6. Bill Withers – ‘Lovely Day’
How can you not smile to this one, it’s an awesome tune to wake up to? If you are too young to remember it, Google it and give it a chance.
7. Kanye West – ‘Good Morning’
Good morning on the day we become legendary! Fabulous lyrics to inspire your thoughts for the day ahead.
8. Get on up with James Brown – ‘Get Up Offa That Thing’
Yes! Get up offa that thing and dance until you feel better! You’ll be boogieing into the bathroom in no time with this one!
9. WHAM! – ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’
10. “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley
I have had so much fun listening, dancing and singing loudly to these songs as I chose them for this article, and I encourage you to click the links and add the ones you like to your own playlist of positive happy tunes. Leave out the doom and gloom!
Back to the waking up happy process – train your brain
First of all, wake up the right way with your happy tunes and then train your brain so that the first thought you think of is a positive one. Err, how to do this TeeJay I hear you groan… The thought could be inspired by your happy tune or simply to smile as you wake and be grateful.
When you wake say thank you for a new day, thank you for a great sleep, thank you for a fresh opportunity and thank you for being who you are. Take a few moments to intentionally feel good before you feel or think anything else.
It might take a bit of practice, especially if you’re not used to thinking in this way but it makes a big difference.
“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” Jamie Paolinetti
Start your day with an intention
It helps if you fall asleep with the intention of waking up happy because your unconscious mind is amazing and will do what you direct it to do before you go to sleep.
A few years ago I trained myself to wake up with the thoughts of “do it as well as think it”. I had my gym kit on the floor next to my bed and I trained myself to physically get into my exercise gear, go downstairs and start the day with exercise. It was awesome because I started my day with an hour of power and was pumped for the rest of day.
Recently, I have trained myself to say thank you, smile to myself and say today is a magnificent day and I am going to be magnificent in it in my own way.
This might be a stretch too far for you if you are a habitual snooze button presser, struggle to get up in the morning and finally rise at the last possible minute. Hear me out anyway…
A great way to start the day is to set your alarm earlier and instead of hitting snooze, get up and exercise, even if it’s for 15 minutes. If that is beyond your mindset right now, how about getting up and after you are washed and dressed, sit and meditate for 5 to 15 minutes. I say after you are up and dressed because the danger is, if you sit up in bed and do it you’ll fall back to sleep. And then you’ll oversleep and panic when you wake up again and you’re late
If that is all too much, wake up to your happy wake up music and keep the positive vibes flowing with an upbeat playlist till you dance your way out of the door. You’ll leave feeling awesome with a smile on your face and the day will already be a success.
“Make each day your masterpiece.” John Wooden
Choose the life you want to lead
Try out the tunes. Find your own playlist and get ready for a different and fun wakeup call in the morning. Do let the Back on Track Teens community know your song choices so we can share them and build a phenomenal list of positive feelgood vibes for every single day.
Until next time, spring into action every morning and see what an amazing difference it will make.
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