Reboot Your Emotional State after a sh#tty day in only 15 minutes

Here’s the scenario. Through the course of a day you just can’t get into it. You labour through the day. You get a bit of stuff done but the feeling you have as you come towards the end of it is that life sucks a little bit. You are not all doom and gloom but you do feel pretty average, pretty overwhelmed and pretty much like you had a very uninspiring and unproductive day. Before you fall asleep, you just hope that tomorrow is going to be better. In fact, not just better, but bucket-loads better. And then tomorrow comes and…

So how does this scenario end? Is it another groundhog day of a bit of crappiness OR did you do something that set into motion a new chain of events?

Well I am here to say that it is up to you (and me) how that next day is most likely to play out. You can either leave it to chance, or divine intervention, or fate, or hope, or the winning Lotto ticket, OR you can do something that will REBOOT your emotional state right from the get-go. And from what I have come to understand, it is our emotional state and emotional energy that turns our inherent potential into action (or converting potential energy into kinetic energy for all you budding physicists out there).

So here is my DAILY REBOOT Ritual, which we teach in the 30-Day Happiness Challenge, and which I highly recommend as a way to start each and every new day. As Tony Robbins says: “The past does not equal the future”. It is irrelevant what yesterday was like. You can change the course of your life and future by the actions you take today. The DAILY REBOOT is also aligned with the idea that an Elite Athlete does certain things immediately before their event to put them in the best physiological and psychological state so they perform at their best, bring home the trophy and take home the belle of the ball.

The DAILY REBOOT is:

1. Wake up. Sit up in bed. Take a deep breath. Then set your intention for the day. Maybe it is to…have a great meeting, resolve that issue with your child, give a great presentation, seal the deal, meet your ideal partner at the local supermarket. This little ritual has you focusing on ‘what you WANT’. It is also great for the subconscious to know your master plan.

2. Do energization exercises. These take about 3-4 mins, and energise your body. Just like a ‘warm-up’ for that elite athlete. Check out this LINK for an example by yours truly doing it tough in Bali.

3. Do affirmations or incantations (these are affirmations + arms waving about like Merlin the magician). Now this is the ‘psych yourself up’ bit. Where you consciously plant and focus on the messages that empower and inspire you. Saying a mantra like “Life is my business partner in success” or “I love and approve of myself” or “I am the equal of all man”. These are the loop recordings we would most benefit playing in our minds as opposed to the “I am not good enough” one that takes up too much space. I also recommend finding a quiet and private spot to do these as people make think you have lost the plot when you start up your psych-up routine.

4. Gratitude exercise. Focus on at least 5 things that you are grateful for. I actually like to say these aloud as I rest my hand on my heart. It allows me to tap into the vibration of them and seems to make them resonate more through me. Psychologists have actually done tests that show that doing daily gratitude exercises for an extended period (30-days) increases a person’s emotional health and happiness. You cannot do feeling grateful and feeling depressed at the same time. Give it a try if you don’t believe me.

5. Meditation. Meditation. Meditation. There is SO MUCH positive research on the benefits of meditation. From its ability to change our brains, to lowering blood pressure, to managing stress and lots more. Now I suggest a min of 5 mins, with an aim for 15 mins. All it needs to be is to sit with your back straight, but not rigid. Eyes closed. Breathe in and breathe out; with the out-breath being longer than the in-breath. Then focus on your breathing. Mind wanders; then bring it back to the breath. And then it wanders again and bring it back to the breath and then it wanders again…etc. We recommend Blissitations.com as a great meditation resource.

So there you go. A DAILY REBOOT Ritual that I have been doing for years and has been essential for letting go of yesterday and starting a new day with a new frame of mind. Letting go of yesterday’s crappiness and replacing it with todays possibility. “The past does not equal the future.”