10 tips to become someone who loves their mornings
Fed up of hating your mornings? Frustrated with your habit of hitting that snooze button and then having to rush to work? I hear you - I was that person too. Then I realised how important it was to start my day in a more calm and positive way. I realised that how I started my day impacted greatly my mindset for the day ahead.
So I’ve complied by top 10 tips to getting you closer to being ‘a morning person’, to wake up excited to start the day ahead and be that person who loves their mornings.
Know what your first 15 minutes will look like. Whether that’s showering, brushing your teeth, brewing your morning coffee or rolling around on your yoga mat. Know the first thing you will do when you wake. This will give you an immediate focus and action and that temptation to stay in bed will lessen.
Stay disconnected. Woke up, rolled over, grabbed your phone and before you know it 30 minutes has gone and you feel annoyed? Yep that can be social media for you! I encourage you to stay disconnected from the outside world as long as possible, allowing your thoughts and intentions for the day to be created before they are influenced by outside noises.
Get outside and soak up the morning sun. Our circadian rhythm is affected by light and dark so don’t stay in your dark bedroom and expect to feel awake, expose yourself to light. Waking up when it’s still dark? I know the winters are tough, I had 33 of them and I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon! Sun lamps are a great tool to help you wake up during these months and if that’s not available to you - turn on those lights!
Move your body. No this doesn’t have to mean go for a 5km run. It can be 10 minutes on your yoga mat, a 20 minute walk outside or even popping on your favourite song and having a dance. Just move your body, shift that sleepy energy and raise those happy hormones.
It all starts from the night before. Are you setting the alarm for 7am but going to bed at midnight and then wondering why your morning feels more messy than magical? Sleep is vital for us to recover and restore, if you are not sleeping long enough or deep enough you are likely to be pressing that snooze button crying our for more time in bed. Try going to bed a little earlier or disconnecting from your phone before you get into bed so that when you do snuggle under the duvet you’re not tempted to have a ‘quick’ scroll before lights out.
Set intentions for the day ahead. This can help you get excited for what’s to come and create that desire to want to get out of bed and get started. Rather than hit snooze.
Do something pleasurable in the morning (wink wink!) I really enjoy making myself fresh coffee each morning. It’s turned into a little ritual. The smell of freshly ground beans the anticipation of waiting for it to brew and then sitting and enjoying the first sip. It feels pleasurable.
Make your bed. Yes I know this is more of a chore then something that you’ll love doing! But it will diminish that temptation to climb back in once it’s all tidy and ready for your return that evening!
Be grateful. Especially when that morning grumpiness starts to kick in, think of 1 thing you are grateful for, you can write it down or just keep it in your thoughts. Studies have shown that carrying out a gratitude practice helps people feel more positive emotions. Isn’t that what you want for the start of your day?
Smile or laugh - because why not! Laughter really is the best medicine!
Which one of these tips did you find most useful and ready to give a go? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments below.
