If you are working in a highly stressful job, or are prone to feeling anxious or worried, your symptoms can be affected by high cortisol levels.
A simple, morning routine can lower cortisol levels and help you maintain a mentally healthy, balanced lifestlye.
The simple morning routine you can adapt to suit your lifestyle
Wake up naturally – Either use a soft alarm or wake up with no alarm, no brisk alarm which will make you jump / shock you.
Hydrate – Before you look at your phone / get on with your day, drink a glass of water to help wake up your digestive system. Try to avoid caffeine for at least 90 minutes after you wake up
Stretch – Get up and get mobile, stretch, breathe and practice mindfulness techniques. Do whatever that means to you, focus on your breathing, or focus on your five senses. You can even do this as you stand in the shower.
Before you leave the shower you can also stand under a cold shower for 30 seconds, this can support your dopamine levels and standing under the cold water can be challenging and therefore completing that quick morning challenge can be very rewarding.
Sunlight – Aim to get up and outside within 30 minutes of waking up. Go for a walk or just stand in natural light and also use this time for mindful thinking.
Journal – Write a journal entry or write out the plan for your day, if you are working you could write down a couple of things you’d like to progress with in that day, or do the same thing for one of your hobbies.
If stress is heightened by your job you can…
Aim to create a separation between your work and your leisure time. If you commute, use your commute to either prepare for the day ahead, with mindful thinking, or on your way home use it to decompress and stop thinking about work. Make sure you have clothes specifically for work and as soon as you get home, change out of them to signify a shift in thought.
If you work from home, create a pre-work commute, go for a short walk or do simple chores to prepare yourself, again wear separate clothes and change out of them at the end of the working day. Also before you finish work you can write down any stresses or challenges you may have had on that day, to get them out of your head and onto paper.
Overall you need to simplify your day as much as you can, and allow yourself to be present as often as possible, thinking in the now, not reflecting on the past or worrying about the future.
The things we learned 