How is this week going for ya? Can you feel that spring is in the air? You probably know this already, but in case you don’t, I live in Brooklyn, NY and we are finally having our first few nice-ish days. I can finally sense a bit of spring in the air and it honestly makes my little heart jump up and down of joy and excitement. I love spring so much. Nature is waking up again and I totally feel like my body, my senses, my ideas are all blooming too. It feels wonderful.

This week, I want to share with you my 3 favorite ways to stay in a calm and happy mindset. I do each of these 3 things on a daily basis and I promise you that they make a huge difference. Consistency is key here, so you definitely want to stick with these for a couple of weeks at least to experience the full benefits.

In this post, I am -for the first time (wohoo :))- going to share some food related tips. Some of you have been reaching out to me asking if I follow certain food guidelines and the answer is that I do and that I believe what we eat REALLY matter!

To tell you the truth, I’m really into food, am constantly experimenting with different things, and am non-stop educating myself about it (so if you want me to share food related things with you more frequently, let me know in the comments on the blog or via email at caroline@carolinezwick.com, so I can gage your interest!)

{Warning: I am not into anything crazy or extreme that will help you lose 20 pounds in 30 minutes. I am an all natural kind of girl!}

My 3 favorite ways to maintain a calm and happy mindset:

1. Start with a great breakfast. It’s actually kind of nuts how much I LOVE my breakfast routine, so I’m a tiny bit embarrassed about how obsessed I am with it.

But, nevertheless, I really want to share it with you, because the positive health effects -mentally and physically!- I have experienced from having this routine are so tremendous that not telling you would be flat out mean :)

Ok, here it goes:

I hate nothing more than rushing, especially in the morning, so I set my alarm for 30 minutes before I have to get up. Once I am up, I boil some water and make myself a cup of warm water with lemon or aloe vera juice to stimulate my digestive system. While the water is heating up, I do some simple stretches. Now, don’t think anything crazy or elaborate. I don’t even get out my yoga mat. I literally just lift my arms up, bend to each side, take a couple deep breaths and use the couch to stretch my hamstrings. I’m basically just waking up my body. After I drink my warm water, I make breakfast.

There are a few option I really like, but my all time favorite and most frequent breakfast is oatmeal with shredded coconut, hemp seeds (or chia seeds/flax seeds/sunflower seeds), walnuts, cinnamon, cardamon, and a scoop of almond butter. I cannot tell you how delicious it is, how great it feels in my belly, and how much energy it gives me all day long. (If you like it a bit sweeter, I recommend adding dates or a bit of honey)

Important note: I make sure that my breakfast always contains a healthy fat, a complex carb, and a good quality protein AND I always try to eat in a calm environment. This is key in order to digest your food properly, absorb all the nutrients, and create a calm and happy mindset.

2) I draw checklist boxes into my daily planner for ALL of my tasks.

And I literally mean all of them. It doesn’t matter how small or large the task is. Putting them all into your planner will make sure you don’t forget them and will relieve your mind from being solely responsible for keeping the strings together. If you are constantly rushing around thinking of all the things you cannot forget, you will drive yourself crazy and inevitably feel overwhelmed. Keeping them in your planner helps you stay organized and you’ll get this great feeling whenever you check something off once it’s completed. At the end of the day you can see everything you did at an easy glance. This will help tremendously especially if you tend to beat yourself up for not being efficient enough and/or don’t know where your time goes.

Now, I know I’m totally old-school for having a hand-written calendar, so for those of you who have entered the 21st century calendar world, I’d recommend getting an app on your phone that allows you to create a checklist, outline your daily goals and check them off once they are completed. Try an app called “Clear,” which is supposed to be really simple and nice.

3) I make sure I get outside even if it’s just for a quick stroll after lunch and even if the weather sucks (I know… sounds crazy, but that’s what I do).

Now here is what I really want you to get: When you are on your stroll literally STROLL (don’t run, rush, or speed-walk down the street). Allow yourself to BE outside. Take a few deep breaths, allow your eyes to look into the distance, maybe listen to calming music, and get yourself to zoom out. By that I mean, see your life as a whole and in the grand scheme of things. We get so caught up in our work, in the details, and in minuscule worries that we lose sight of what really matters. Make it a daily habit to literally step outside and "zoom out" to see your whole life unfolding and happening. This always has a huge, positive mental effect on me that adds tremendous value to how calm and happy I feel on a daily basis.

Ok, obviously there are a ton more things you can explore, but these are the basic 3 that I literally do every day.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear from you: Which one of these ways most resonates with you? Which one do you want to try out for yourself? Do you have any recommendations for how to stay in a calm and happy mindset? Different things work for different people and there are so many options to encourage your own well-being and happiness, so please do share them with us below:)

XOX

Caroline