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| Photo Credit: Lovely Day Events Pittsburgh Photography Makeup: Hope Star Makeup |
Mornings suck - well the waking up part does - especially if you're headed to work, or somewhere you really don't want to go. We feel like there's not enough time in the day, we're never at home, we're always rushing somewhere, our bed is super comfy, and we really just don't wanna adult today. So we fight mornings tooth and nail and we generally sabotage our days before they've even begun. If you're wondering what I know about mornings, given that I work nights shifts as a bartender now, trust me - I have had my fair share of early wake ups and experience in this category. Before 2015, I spent 6 years waking up at 4:30am to leave my house by 5:30 to drive an hour to my job. And when I got really dedicated, I began waking at 3:30am to workout before having to get ready at 4:30am for work. So, I have some experience in the morning routine, and I have some things I put into practice to make every morning a little bit better.
1: Stop hitting snooze
Yeah, I know, your bed feels reallllly good and the extra sleep would be so great, right? But, you're not really getting much sleep in that 8 minute snooze. Your alarm wakes you from your REM cycle, and begins the day. Hitting snooze messes up that cycle and makes you foggy, groggy, and definitely behind the 8 ball on time - leaving you rushing, angry with yourself, and often forgetting something important as you fly out of the house to your car in a tornado-like fashion.
I can't wake up with my first alarm, because I'm usually in such a dead sleep, so for years - since college - I have set my alarm for an hour or so before I need to get up, and then once more for the time I would actually like to be up*. For me, speaking only from experience, and no scientific data, this pulls me out of my REM cycle and leaves me in a light sleep state that I am much more easily wake-able from.
*Time I would like to be up = time that is conducive to me getting all of my things done, without rushing. Not the "last possible second"time that snooze leaves us with.
2: Start your day with some light and positivity
I like picking up my phone and reading something as soon as I have to be up, while I'm in bed. The light from the phone breaks up the dark state that my room is always in, and reading forces my brain to function. This is ideally NOT Facebook. This is something like a positive quote or passage, or possibly a bible verse delivered to your email each day, or by using an app*.
Reading about what everyone's doing on Facebook usually gives me anxiety, envy, annoyance or some other small negative emotion that doesn't really set me up for a good mind set for the day. Start with something positive instead of the usual stuff you're going to read ten times over today on Facebook anyway.
*My favorite apps and emails to come in the next post.
3: Prepare the night before
I am a million times better in the morning when I have anticipated my needs for the day, the night before. Setting out my clothes, making my lunch, and packing my work-bag before going to bed allows for little error in the morning and a smooth wakeup. I used to do this every night before having to wake up at 4am for my day job. Now that I have a night job and go to yoga in the morning, instead of rushing to work, I set out my yoga clothes if I know that it's an early class. Doesn't sound like much, but it takes the guess work out of an already busy day. Eliminate as many decisions as possible and the morning already feels lighter.
4: Work out
You know this - and I know you might hate me for saying this - but working out in the AM is AWESOME for endorphins. Give yourself as much as an hour, or as little as 20 minutes, but moving before running off to sit in your office for 10+ hours makes all the difference in the world. Find some Youtube videos, join a gym, use at-home workout dvds, walk your dog, or create your own plan for the morning workout, but just move. You know exercising is good for you, you already know it creates endorphins, but if none of those things entice you - what about doing it in the morning so it's one less thing to do at night? That's mainly why I worked out before work in the AM. I love savoring my PM routine of relaxing. Having to work out after an hour of sitting in my car on the drive home never worked for me.
5: Get off the scale
The scale is a tricky demon. If the numbers are just right, my day is awesome. But, chances are, after I've stepped on the scale, I'm pissed off. Even if the numbers haven't changed drastically, I'm usually in disagreement with what I thought it was going to say and what it actually says. I gave up the scale years ago, and will occasionally check in maybe once a month or so just to know where I stand. I don't know anyone that generally loves the scale, yet most of us jump on it a couple times a week in the morning, if not every day - only to find ourselves angry with the results. I know you think you need it to track your progress, but I'm convinced the stress that it brings only serves to set you back physically and mentally. Numbers don't define your progress. The way you feel, the way your clothes fit, that's what matters.
6: Stop saying yes to plans that you dread
I once read that when you are asked to make plans of any sort, you should think of yourself having to do that thing tomorrow, or later that day. Usually when we have to put something in our planner, it's generally a week or more away and we say "yeah, sure" to it because the reality of it really isn't for some time, and we tend to believe we'll feel differently then or we'll find a way out of it by the time it comes, etc. However, when you think of it being something you have to do tomorrow, or later that day, you can get a feel for how you're really going to think about it once the time comes. We say yes to a million things that we don't want to do and when the day comes to actually do that, our morning sucks because we're dreading it - even if it's something fun, like dinner with friends. Enjoyable things can feel like a burden if we plan them at times that aren't conducive to ourselves. For instance, I am someone that doesn't like to overbook my evenings. I already work 4 nights a week, so when I have those other 3 days off of the evening shift, I like to be at home, enjoying dinner with my boyfriend and chill time in my sweats. I like to plan daytime things because I am more energetic at that time and feel more apt to really enjoy plans. Know yourself, what you like and dislike, and be ok saying no to things.
7: Set your alarm for 20 minutes earlier than usual
Make time to wake up slow, even on a weekday. Get out of bed a little earlier - even though it's ridiculously hard - and enjoy your coffee, or breakfast, leisurely. Sit on the couch and watch a show, or put on some music and write, or stare off into space, or pet your dog, or prepare for your day, or whatever floats your boat - just get up a little earlier and do nothing stressful. A lot of us feel like we are pulled in so many directions during the week that we have little time to ourselves, little time to just sit in our homes - this leaves us with a chaotic mindset, an angry disposition, and a constant yearning for life to slow down. I have news: You are the only one that can slow life down - and you literally have to make time for it. Even though I no longer work a job that requires me to be up before the sun each day, I still wake up early before any morning plans - like yoga. I wake up to drink my coffee and chill out for a minute before the day gets ahead of me. I will wake up at 5am if I know that I must be in the shower and getting ready by 5:30am. I've done this for so long that I feel rushed if I don't do this. It never feels easy to pry myself out of bed earlier than I need to be, but I never regret it.
8: Turn on the music (if you won't risk waking others)
The news never made me feel better in the morning, yet the majority of us turn it on as background noise while we are getting ready. RARELY is there anything I HAVE to know, aside from road closures and weather - and you can find those quickly on the internet - but there is always negative story after negative story. There's no room for that in your morning. Look up the weather and the traffic on your phone or computer, and then turn on your favorite music. It sets a completely different tone for the day and you can read the news during your lunch break when your brain is better awake to handle the negative stuff.
9: Turn on the lights/open the blinds
A lot of us are still waking up the same way we did in high school and college - getting ready in the dark because we're sleepy and don't want to be awake - fighting it tooth and nail. Turn on all the lights! (ok, maybe just a couple) Open the blinds! Sunlight, and light in general, slows down the production of melatonin and ups the adrenaline. Stop fighting being awake - you're not a child.
10: Eat breakfast
Something, anything. It doesn't have to be a big production, just plan to eat something. Breakfast bars, fruit, cottage cheese, hummus and veggies, a smoothie, an egg wrap - whatever. Your body starts really functioning when you feed it - otherwise you feel sluggish until there's actually food in there. I am a recovering no-food-in-the-am person. Fast breakfast foods are always sweet (granola bars, pastries, fruit, etc) and I am not someone that likes sweets so I'd just forgo the whole thing altogether. Now I eat something small like hummus and crackers to get my body moving. It doesn't have to be an actual "breakfast food" - just something that is relatively healthy that will break the fast your body has been in during sleep.
I know waking up is extremely difficult, even if you're someone who enjoys morning, like me. The bed is cozy and warm and the day feels cold and full of responsibility, but you'll have to wake eventually - may as well make it a little more enjoyable. Your body will fight it at first and you may even hate me a little for acting like mornings are no big deal, but I swear these things make a huge difference. Try one, or all!
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