Morning Routines
Improving you're morning routine
What is a typical morning for you? Do you have calming morning rituals or would you consider most mornings chaos?
Do you feel like your are always rushing around? Are you hitting the snooze button till its 10 minutes past the time you should have gotten up to get to work on time? Breakfast? Whats breakfast? Are you asking yourself do you think anyone will notice I didn’t show today? Do you feel like you are starting most days stressed, tired, crabby, or grumpy?
Mornings are a thing that most people can not avoid. Mornings have such an impact on our overall mood, energy levels, stress management, positivity, and productivity.
So lets take a look at some simple ways to improve the start of your day that will have an significant impact on your mood, relationships, and work performance.
NIGHT BEFORE:
Plan ahead and get prepared for the morning:
Get some sleep- Quality sleep- Get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. It sounds so simple right? Then why are we staying up on our phones or computers, and watching tv. Then we are waking up sluggish and tire in the morning. So put all electronics away 2 hours before bed time. Spend the time relaxing, reading a book, taking a bath, or communicating with your partner. Waking up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day will affect your whole day, not just the morning. Having energy for that 3 o’clock meeting will make the world of difference.
Make your lunch and pick. Making your lunch the night before will only take away one stressor in the morning and shorten the list or to do’s. When you are not rushed you are able to take the time to prepare a healthier lunch allowing you to maintain your energy through out the day.
Plan your outfit the night before. You’ll probably pick out a more thoughtful outfits that wasn’t just thrown together. Picking out your outfit the night before allows you time to iron your cloths and have a more put together professional appearance.
Take some time to reflect on your day and write down 3 things that you are grateful for.
Do not forget to wash your face and brush your teeth.
IN THE MORNING:
Do not hit snooze. Get up and out of bed the first time you hear the alarm go off. Those 10 extra minutes will just make you feel more sluggish.
Drink a big glass of water. Have the glass of water sitting next to your bed. Think about it, you have been a sleep for the last 8 hours with out consuming water your body is dehydrated. Put some lemon in the water and get added benefits of jumping starting your metabolism for the day.
Get out of bed and move! Walk to the window open the blinds and allow some light in your room. Then do a quick 5 minutes of activity. I recommend an easy 5 minute yoga sequence or some free weights. If you make it easy on yourself there is no EXCUSE! A lot of times you’ll find yourself wanting to do more then the 5 minutes. This gets the serotonin in your brain activated and increasing.
Music is great in the morning. Music wakes your feel good chemicals up in your brain, and gets you excited and motivated for the day.
Set one goal for the day. Take the time to meditate, visualize the day, and get focus on the goal of the day. Make the goal realistic and achievable.
Get ready. Take a shower, wash your face, and brush your teeth. Get dressed in the nicely iron cloths from the evening before.
You must eat breakfast. Your body needs fuel to maintain energy for the day. Make sure your meal is nutritional to avoid the mid morning crash.
Leave on time. Leaving late, will leave you feeling rushed, which increases stress. Have a preplanned time that you will leave. Be specific. Be generous with the amount of time that it will take you to get to your destination.