For most of us, mornings are characterised by grogginess, grumpiness and a whole lot of grumbling. This sets the tone for the rest of our day—frazzled and weary. In the end, all we have on our mind throughout the day is getting back to bed. Thankfully, there are little changes we can all make to ensure we wake up in a good mood and energised for the day ahead.
- Prepare the night before. The worst way to start your day is in a rush, frantically looking for your keys, wallet and clean underwear before you need to catch your bus. To avoid this, just take 10 minutes the night before to lay out your clothing and put your lunch somewhere in the fridge where you’ll quickly spot it. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, quickly tidy up your room as well so you don’t have to wake up to a cluttered space in the morning.
- Get a good night’s sleep. There’s simply no better way to feel refreshed in the morning than quality sleep. Buy a new mattress if you can, or elevate the comfort of your existing mattress with a quality mattress topper. If you often wake up sore in the morning, a mattress topper will be able to alleviate your pain. Also, make yourself go to bed an hour early—even if you don’t fall asleep right away, you’ll give your body enough time to wind down and get to sleep sooner than usual.
- Don’t hit snooze. When you snooze, you get interrupted, choppy sleep, which results in you feeling even groggier when you finally do get up.
- Get moving. Not all of us can manage a gym session first thing in the morning, but we can all do some quick stretches in bed. This gets your blood flowing and releases endorphins, getting your day off to a positive start.
- Make your bed. Cliched but true, making your bed will give you a sense of achievement first thing in the morning.
- Disconnect. If watching the news or checking your social media affects your mood in a negative way, simply don’t do it. Instead, put on a feel-good playlist in the background as you get ready.
- Have breakfast. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to nourish your body. Remember, you’ve essentially been fasting the entire night, so have some food to stabilise your blood sugar levels and provide some much-needed energy.
- Have something to look forward to. This should be something so pleasant or exciting that you are even looking forward to it the night before. Think your morning cup of Joe or being able to play with your beloved pooch. Sometimes, this could even mean treating yourself to a sugary treat or drink on your way to work.
- Get some fresh air. Try to get a blast of fresh air within 30 minutes of waking up to feel instantly energised. This could be going for a brisk walk in the morning or even just enjoying your breakfast on the patio.
- Set your intentions. Having a game plan is essential to getting it together in the morning. This could be a mindset you wish to adopt that day (“I intend to lead by example today”) or writing a succinct to-do list for what you are going to focus on that day.
Adopt the ten tips above to ensure your mornings are a breeze and set you up for a productive and serene day ahead.
