As we all know, it can be difficult to bring a new, healthy habit into our already jam-packed days. It might be impossible to imagine squeezing one more thing in.
Luckily, light therapy is something that can be easily woven into the activities that you already do. There’s no need to overhaul your rituals—just turn on your HappyLight® and soak up the light your body needs to function at its best. You’ll not only combat winter blues with the power of 10,000 lux—you’ll sleep better, improve your mood and experience more energy and improved focus, too.
And you’ll enjoy all of these boosts simply because you switched on a light, which is ideally used for approximately 30 minutes during the morning hours and 10-15 minutes in the afternoon for a quick pick-me-up. Using a HappyLight® in the evening or at night can encourage your body to feel a little too awake, so best to have it off it as your body prepares for sleep.
Read on to learn how you can creatively bring light therapy into your typical day.
Bring full-spectrum light into your bathroom
You know it well—that groggy, not-quite-awake feeling you experience when you roll out of bed and head to your bathroom to start your day. To get exposed to full-spectrum light first thing in the morning, put a HappyLight® in your bathroom. That way, you’ll surround yourself with daylight even if the sunrise is covered by clouds.
Do some stretching next to a HappyLight®
Keep a yoga mat near your bed and wake up your body through stretching and basic poses, next to a HappyLight® perched on your nightstand.
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Soak up light therapy while you eat breakfast
For this ritual, you’ll have to slow down and actually eat breakfast—this means no granola bar on the go. Prepare your breakfast and eat while you bask in the glow of beneficial light therapy. Be sure to keep your HappyLight® in a spot where you know you’ll eat every day, such as your kitchen counter or dining table.
Include a HappyLight® in a soul-centering daily practice
If you love to engage in a nourishing or spiritual practice every day, such as repeating affirmations, journaling or even just mindfully sipping a cup of tea, keep a HappyLight® nearby to enhance the experience, inspiring even more positive feelings.
Read the newspaper or your iPad next to a light
After you’ve completed those soothing, grounding activities, dig into today’s news during a light therapy session.
Do your morning tasks with a HappyLight® nearby
We all have those same tasks that we do every morning. This likely includes washing your face, brushing your teeth or perhaps dry-brushing or applying makeup. A small lamp, like the HappyLight® Compact Light Therapy Lamp®, can reside in a corner on your counter, ready to be switched on when you need it.
Start your workday with light therapy
Whether you work from a home office or a cubicle, a HappyLight® can be a welcome addition as you start your day, checking email and catching up on the news.
Replace the water cooler with a HappyLight®
If you work in an office, suggest that a HappyLight® be added to a break room or other common area. That way, instead of chatting with your co-workers around the water cooler, you can meet around the HappyLight® and amplify the health benefits.
Have a “light” lunch or snack at your desk
On particularly gloomy days or those times when you haven’t snuck enough light therapy into your routine, opt for a lunch or snack at your desk and switch on that HappyLight®.
Curb an afternoon crash
We all dread afternoon energy dips. Head them off at the pass with 10 to 15 extra minutes of light therapy at your desk, or if you’re at home, work on a favorite hobby, go through bills and receipts or pick up a beloved book. You’ll be feeling lighter and brighter in no time.
Header image: wocintechchat
