Ever have one of those days that makes you feel so good about yourself that you wish you could live in that moment forever? I like to call days like that my Best Days Ever and I decided about six months ago that I would curate one day a week that would leave me feeling totally zen and right with the world. So how exactly do you guarantee this feeling? Well, after a little bit of research and planning, I’ve found the perfect combo that will leave you totally at ease every time. I recommend following this little plan once a week — any more than that and it will begin to lose it’s magic, but any less and you’ll find yourself getting stressed and frazzled.
Recognize Your Best Day Ever Started Yesterday
The biggest and most important part about enjoying your day today means setting yourself up for success yesterday. And the easiest way to do that is to drink more water. Seriously. If you’re tired of waking up with that “hang-over” feeling even when you didn’t drink the night before, it’s because you’re dehydrated. Buy yourself a water bottle that locks (so it won’t spill in your purse and ruin everything you own) and make a commitment to drink two or three every day. You’ll start waking up feeling more rejuvenated in no time. My new favorite way to end the day is using Burt’s Bees Brightening Refining Tonic. It pulls out the remaining gunk your face wash left behind while evening your skin and brightening your complexion. Within a week’s time, you’ll wake up with radiant skin. I don’t know how or why this tonic works, but I’ve been using it religiously every night before bed since January 1st and have no plans to stop using the product. (Pro tip: Burt’s Bees also has a rosewater and a garden tomato toner, so if you’re not fond of the floral scent, you can opt for one of those.)
Start Your Morning With Nutritious Breakfast
Put the bacon down. Thank you. When I say “nutritious breakfast” I am not saying greasy, filling breakfast. I swapped out my morning Captain Crunch with a homemade porridge (try this yummy recipe) to fill me up and give me loads of energy for the day. Not to fear — you can keep your coffee. And no, if we are being technical, there are no real and proven health benefits for eating breakfast. There just aren’t. But from personal experience, the days I force myself to eat breakfast are the same days I’m not crashing and sputtering into my nearest Taco Bell for a quick meal or eating an entire family-sized bag of Doritos to hold me over (guilty as charged.) Breakfast is truly an opportunity to promise yourself you won’t binge eat Locos Tacos at 2 p.m. And that’s probably the most important way to start the day.
Do One Productive Thing Before Mid-Afternoon
This is your second chance to make yourself proud. Knock that one thing you’ve been meaning to do out of the park. Do you need to go grocery shopping? Put on some leggings and go right now. Do you need to finish that report for work? Now, now, now. Open yourself up to creative projects, too. Have you been meaning to finish that painting but never have time? Devote 30 minutes and just go. The human brain is super weird. Once you check one thing off your to-do list, it goes buckwild trying to praise you for it. If you’re looking for instant gratification on your best day ever, really push yourself and do two productive things before mid-afternoon. Maybe you go grocery shopping and you finish that painting. Maybe you go for a run and return your library books. Now we’re talking! You’ll be rolling through the day on this productive high feeling absolutely amazing. You go, Glenn Coco.
Make Plans With Your Most Lowkey Friend
Tell Six Shots Sarah to stay home. After your yummy breakfast and mood boosting productivity ventures, you should guide your day into a fun mini adventure with the friend who can go with the flow. This person doesn’t have to make a party out of everything. This person enjoys living in the moment and wants to do something out of the ordinary. This person will take a road trip to go to an art museum neither of you have been to before.
It’s important to make plans with friends who don’t revolve around booze or party drugs. Not saying that you can’t or shouldn’t hang out with these people, but it’s crucial to have some friends who you can just be around. These are the types of friends that will go to that book signing with you or invites you to skip town to try out a cat cafe. You should immediately have one person in the forefront of your brain. I know I do. These are the friends that make you feel good from the inside out. On your best day ever, this is the type of energy that will only make everything better.
Go To Bed Early
I know! Super lame, right? But my best day ever (I’ve selected Sunday, every week) usually ends with me snuggled in bed with my cat and a good book that’s been on my To-Be-Read list for a while. I’ve usually got a warm cup of tea beside me and after all the relaxing, positive vibes of the day, I feel totally at ease with the world. My best day ever is on Sunday solely because the next day is Monday, back to work. I find that going to bed even a half hour earlier than I normally do starts the my Monday off right, which sets my week off right, which leads me right back to Sunday and I can start all over again.
Having the best day ever always comes off as something that happens totally by accident, completely dependent on a randomized set of events. But I’ve found that this is not exactly true, we can build the life of dreamstuff right here, right now. These preconceived actions (which will be totally different for everyone — my idea of productive and yours are two totally separate things) set all of us up for a personalized day of awesomeness that you get to enjoy again and again. And I do, every Sunday.
Featured Image via Pexels
