Believe it or not, it is possible to radically alter how you feel without changing your circumstances. When I first (very sceptically!) tried this technique I had such a great day it blew my socks off – and I was generally very miserable at work at the time.

Each morning, before you dive head-first into your day, think very clearly about how you want your day to be, and most importantly how you want to be during the day. For me, I find it particularly effective to write it down. But the most important thing is that you decide how you want your day to go, and then focus on that for at least a few minutes before you get started.

The more energy you can put into these thoughts, the better your day will be, so if you normally spend your journey to work thinking “Ugh, I have to do x and meet y, and I’m tired and stressed" and so on, try going over and over in your mind your new script instead: “Today I’m going to get through my workload productively and effectively. I’m going to be relaxed and confident and will capably deal with every situation whether it is planned or unexpected. I’m going to feel great all day and enjoy what I’m doing and the people I’m interacting with.” Substitute this for whatever you want from your day.

As a former Doubting Thomas my own reaction to this suggestion was “yeah, right!” But then I thought, “Well what have I got to lose?” The results surprised me. Why not have an open mind and give it a try yourself.