Had A Stressful Morning? 7 Ways To Turn Your Whole Day Around

Yesterday morning, I had a pretty stressful start to my day. An upsetting phone call, a few tears shed, and the day felt destined for the worst.

But then I took a step back, and instead of letting the rest of the day follow suit, I made a conscious decision to try to shift my state. It made me think of the idea of a “bounce back rate,” a term I’ve heard in the past. It refers to the ability to “bounce back” after stressful or negative situations. Negative situations are inevitable, and so is stress. The goal with the bounce-back rate is to decrease the amount of time it takes you to return to your baseline. It doesn’t disregard stress or negative emotions. Rather, it allows you to fully experience those emotions and then actively return to your calm, neutral state. It’s a simple concept, but one that can make a meaningful difference in how your day unfolds.

And, because stressful mornings are more common than any of us would like, I thought it could be helpful to have a go-to list of ways to reset, so that one bad moment doesn’t have to shape the rest of your day.

Once I realized the slippery slope of stress I was sliding down, I brought my attention back to my breath. When I’m stressed, I tend to either breathe very shallow or even hold my breath entirely, neither of which is doing me any favors.

Sitting down and taking 10 slow, deep breaths is one of the quickest ways to calm your nervous system. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system1 (aka your “rest and digest” mode), which counteracts the fight-or-flight response triggered by stress. It lowers your heart rate, reduces cortisol, and signals to your body that you’re safe. It takes less than two minutes, and you can do it anywhere. Truly, it’s the fastest free tool in your stress-relief toolkit.

On this particular day, bad news hit me straight in the face before breakfast. On stressful days, it’s incredibly easy to push aside your own needs and hyperfocus on the problem at hand. But skipping meals (or eating poorly) only perpetuates the stress cycle. When your body is under stress, it burns through energy faster. Skipping breakfast leaves you running on empty, which makes your cortisol spike even higher and your emotional resilience plummet.

Ensuring you have a protein-packed breakfast helps regulate your blood sugar and hunger cues (bye-bye being hangry). Blood sugar stability is directly tied to your mood and energy. Research shows that blood glucose fluctuations can significantly impact irritability, anxiety, and cognitive function. When blood sugar dips, your body interprets it as a stress signal, releasing more cortisol and adrenaline. The last thing you need on an already stressful morning.

My go-to is always a big bowl of Greek yogurt, a scoop of mindbodygreen whey protein powder for good measure, wild blueberries, and homemade granola. It’s packed with 40+ grams of protein, keeps me full until lunch, and takes about three minutes to pull together.

If you know me, I am a die-hard coffee lover. I drink a big cup of black coffee every morning, without fail. Although caffeine doesn’t typically make me jittery, it can leave me feeling a bit more anxious on an already stressful morning, and there’s a reason for that.

Caffeine stimulates the release of cortisol and adrenaline, the same stress hormones already elevated when you’re anxious or overwhelmed. On a normal day, your body handles this just fine. But on a stressful morning, adding caffeine to an already heightened stress response can amplify feelings of anxiety and make it harder to come back down.

Because of this, on tough mornings I’ll opt for a smaller cup of coffee or go half-caff. And I always make sure to drink it after eating breakfast, which helps slow the caffeine absorption and keeps those cortisol levels a little more balanced.

Movement, nature, sunshine—all three of these things are a recipe for stress reduction. And, lucky us, you can access all three with a simple morning stroll.

Research consistently shows that even a 10-minute walk can meaningfully reduce cortisol and anxiety levels. Movement releases endorphins, which are your body’s natural mood boosters. Being in nature, even a neighborhood with a few trees, has been shown to lower blood pressure and calm the nervous system. And morning sunlight? It helps regulate your circadian rhythm2 and boosts serotonin, which sets a more positive emotional tone for the rest of the day.

Walking is also a great way to get your mind off the issue at hand. Listen to an audiobook, your favorite podcast, or (which leads me to my next point) call a friend.

It’s easy to carry the weight of your stress alone, as if it’s your burden and yours only. But reaching out to your support system is one of the best ways to gain clarity and perspective. Not only do you have to articulate what’s going on, which alone can help you process your feelings, but you also get the benefit of another perspective.

Or maybe you don’t even talk about your stressful morning at all. Maybe you just chat with your sister or your best friend about their weekend, their plans for the day, or that show they’re bingeing. Sometimes the best reset is simply feeling connected to someone you love. Regardless, leaning on your people is always a good idea.

Showering has a way of resetting your emotional state that feels almost ritualistic. It figuratively and literally cleanses your body, rinsing away the stress and heaviness that’s been clinging to you all morning.

Physically3, a shower lowers cortisol levels, relaxes tense muscles, and brings you back into your body. The warmth increases circulation and can trigger the release of oxytocin, which has a naturally calming, feel-good effect. It’s a simple way to wash off the morning and move forward. 

Okay, maybe this one doesn’t sound the most scientific. But trust me, there is nothing better than putting on your favorite top, a great pair of jeans, and a cute pair of shoes. 

There’s actually a concept called “enclothed cognition4,” which suggests that what you wear can influence how you feel and behave. And from personal experience, I can say it makes a difference.

Stressful days in my mind equate to unbrushed hair and a haphazard outfit. So matching my appearance to how I want to feel, rather than how I currently feel, is a surprisingly powerful way to shift my state. It’s a form of embodied intention-setting. When you look put-together, you often start to feel a little more put-together too. And sometimes that’s all the science you need.

The takeaway

Late to school drop-off, a tense email from work, an unexpected piece of bad news—stressful mornings are bound to happen. But they don’t have to set the tone for your entire day. 

Making an intentional effort to shift your state is itself a form of self-care. And with these 7 easy, low-lift habits, you can turn things around faster than you think. Your bounce-back rate is a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets.