Anne Tenna  

Department of Human Resources

1) Stretch in bed before you get up and at ’em – this improves focus and helps the body transition from sleep.

2) Before you eat or drink anything in the morning, gargle a cup of water to get out your night’s germ farm – your breath will be fresher all day (but onions and garlic might tip the scales!).

3) Think of 3 things that your grateful for –  think of this as mood lighting for your day that has been proven to boost your immune system (keeping you healthy through flu season) and better at problem solving (the more relaxed you are when a problem arises the more chances you have of finding a thoughtful and creative solution).

4) Take a moment to remember your bigger life goals – health, happiness, good family relationships, great friendships – before you head out to do your day’s work. Perspective also gives us a boost of energy before your morning coffee.

5) Speaking of morning coffee...does acidic coffee bother your stomach? If so, put a little sprinkle of the spice cardamom to make the coffee less acidic.

6) Make room for young people and elders. If you are young, try to spend time with an elder whose good stories and lessons learned can help you become more adaptable and open to the sidewinders life can throw at you. A grouchy elder will do, as they tend to have an “honesty first” policy the likes of which make most polite people blush. If you’re an elder, the youthful exuberance of children and teens is a hoot! Just remember they’re not yours so you no longer need to abide by the disciplinarian role which can make for faster trust, by kids and teens, which can grow into friendship.

7) Make room to play (games, sports, the sky’s the limit). This is NOT a pastime reserved for children, this should be a requirement for us all.

8) Take time for silence, turn off your radio to or from work, shut down your cell phone and just listen to the sound of silence, even if only for a moment or three.

9) Make sure you have things to look forward to that include other people and fresh air.

10) And finally, know that each small act of kindness and chivalry make for a better day not only for those who you... held the door open for, allowed to merge in through tremendous traffic, shared a joke or laugh with, listened to without judging... these acts are slightly heroic and lead to a better quality of life for us all.