There are very few people who are at their best first thing in the morning, and even fewer who have the time for a massage before heading to work (unless they happen to work in a Phuket spa, of course). Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make your morning a little more bearable and get you through the day feeling happy and energised.

Eat

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day for a reason. A healthy one will fuel you for the trials ahead, filling you with energy. Go for carbs and protein so that you get an immediate boost, with some gradual energy released to keep you trucking through to lunch. Eggs, Greek yoghurt, oatmeal, fruit, nuts and cottage cheese are all good ingredients.

You should also drink a big glass of water. Sleeping dehydrates you, so you’ll need water to refresh and restore you. Add a little lemon to give it an extra kick.

Pray

Even if you don’t have time for a visit to a Phuket spa first thing in the morning, you can usually find a couple of minutes to clear your mind before it gets cluttered up by a busy day. It’s not really “praying”, but meditating for two minutes in the morning by sitting somewhere comfortable and focussing on your breathing will help focus your mind and relieve stress. If you’ve never meditated before, look up some guided meditation videos online. It’ll feel weird and seem kind of pointless at first, but the impact builds as you get better at it.

Incidentally, an important element of this is to not pick up your phone first. Ideally, you shouldn’t even look at it until you’re on your way out the door. It’ll only distract and distress you and make it much harder to meditate.

Love

Giving yourself a little love (no, not like that!) in the morning will help to put a smile on your face that can last you through the day – certainly until you get to a Phuket spa. Write down a few things that you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be profound – you can be grateful for the tasty breakfast you just had, or for the comfy sheets you just slept in. It’s just about practising being positive instead of negative. Again, it’ll see weird at first, but stick with it and you’ll feel the benefits in no time.