By Thérèse Bolat

Have you ever stepped out of your house while rushing off to work or school in a frenzy, only to find a beautiful, quiet morning with a bright, blue, clear sky above you? Suddenly, just for a moment, everything stops and the worries and stresses of your day disappear – but only for a moment. Very quickly you find yourself back into that fight-or-flight state that we call just another typical day.

If you could slow down, just a little each day, and enjoy that brief moment, your outlook, your mood, and perhaps your day, would improve.

Here is a quick tip to help improve your mood. It also helps to improve sleep, but I will get to that later.

Set aside ten minutes in the morning to walk outside and look up at the blue sky on a clear day.

No, don’t look at the sun, just the sky. If you start your morning with a cup of coffee, tea, or a smoothie – take that outside with you.

That’s it. Try it tomorrow morning and you will notice a definite boost in your mood. You feel more relaxed, energized, and focused.  Many of you may be thinking, “I don’t have ten minutes to spare, especially in the morning!  Well, give it a try over the weekend or during your lunch break. Find the time, because your body deserves some stress reduction and this is a fairly simple, yet very effective, one.

Do this several times per week to improve your mood, although you will notice a difference right away. The second benefit in taking a few moments to look up into the sky in the morning will happen that night when you go to sleep. You will produce more melatonin to help you fall asleep faster and rest better.