Starting off with an optimistic thought puts you in a much more positive frame of mind to tackle your day.

1. Wake Up With This Thought First

After hitting that alarm button, start your day with this thought: “I’m Alive.” And this is the important part, don’t qualify that thought. Don’t say: “i’m alive but…” “i’m alive but I hate my job.” “i’m alive but I’m lonely.” Don’t do that. Being able to open your eyes in the morning is a privilege denied to many. Whatever your situation in life is, being granted another day means being granted another chance. So starting off with an optimistic thought puts you in a much more positive frame of mind to tackle your day.

2. Do Chores To Music

To borrow an often misquoted quotation from playwright, William Congreve: “Music soothes the savage beast.” So it can certainly move you along when having to clean the toilet or fold the laundry! The beauty of music streaming sites like Spotify and iTunes is that you can tailor your own playlist to your precise needs or taste. Fancy some opera while cooking dinner? Ramp up that Puccini or Wagner! Or maybe you prefer head-banging rock when cleaning the oven – go ahead! Whatever it is to make the mundane a little more fun, go for it!

3. Take Public Transport

The most often repeated argument against public transport is that you are at the mercy of someone else’s schedule. But, speaking as a frequent bus and/or train rider, if planned correctly, public transport is the stress-free solution to getting to where you want to go. Imagine being able to listen to music or read your book while calmly drinking your coffee on your morning commute! Or, if you’re so inclined, having a snooze! And now, with the advent of Uber, you can even take advantage of a ride when access to buses or trains becomes limited. If you don’t have a lot to lug around or if you’re not traveling with a lot of people, leave the car at home and enjoy having someone else do the driving for a change!

4. Enjoy The Silence

This is so rare nowadays. With such easy access to TV, movies, videos and music, I won’t be surprised if a lot of us actually feel uneasy when all the noise is turned off. But it’s important to give our brains a rest from outside stimulus and let our own thoughts have center stage for once. For example, when waiting for the next load of laundry to finish, don’t start another task. Sit down and leaf through a magazine or read a chapter of your book. Better yet, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and sit and stare out the window and daydream. Not only are you re-charging your body, but you’re re-charging your mind too.

5. Let Go Of Guilt

For this one, I’m only speaking about one type of guilt (all the other types require articles of their own!). The guilt I’m referring to is that annoying little one that won’t let you enjoy taking some quiet time for yourself. Mums probably relate to this most of all but anyone will experience this once in a while. That little voice that nags you to do something else while the dishwasher’s running or your meal is cooking, or while the kids are asleep – you all know the one. And while there’s times when we definitely have to listen to that voice, let go of the guilt that comes when you ignore it. You know why? Because you have to take care of you too. How will you being sick or burnt out help anyone? Remember that, and feel free to indulge yourself from time to time.