Easy Steps to Become a Morning Person

Lately, I have been struggling with my sleep and mornings have been pretty hard for me to face. Of course, this has negative effects on my life. For example, I end up delaying the alarm several times, I eat worse along the day and feel more hungry. I have never been the best sleeper, but this year I have been finding some nice tricks to find yourself waking up feeling more relaxed and positive.

Night routine

The way you wake up is often linked to the way you have slept, so this actually starts the night before.

I have found out that having a night routine helps me A LOT falling asleep sooner and more relaxed. This night routine depends on the person, some enjoy practising some yoga and some reading a book. Drinking a warm camomile tea, whilst you prepare yourself for sleep, is something that can help you feel relaxed and ready for a good rest.

Smells

I am very sensitive to smells. I love enjoying some nice sweet odour while I am sleeping or when I wake up. One of my latest discoveries has been peppermint essence. I use it on my sheets in order to smell the peppermint while I am falling asleep. In the morning, you can still the smell of the essence.

Be nice to yourself

I have realised that the best way to enjoy the morning is to make it nice for you. You can start by drinking/eating something you really enjoy. If you don’t feel like preparing oats or granola or banana cookies, you can prepare them the night before, That way, you can just enjoy it when you wake up.

Don’t look at your phone

This one is very hard, at least to me. I wake up with the alarm on my phone, so it’s something automatic for me to check all the notifications, messages plus the news, etc. The morning is supposed to be just the quiet moment of the day when you start waking your body up and start to build some energy. It doesn’t help start reading about awful news that are happening in the world before you even get out of bed.

But have a look at the weather

The weather has been a bit crazy lately. One day is extremely cold and the next one is not, but it’s raining like hell. One of the apps you should actually have a look at your phone just before getting dressed is the weather App. If it’s possible, do this the night before just to avoid yourself from the “I don’t know what to wear” stress. It’s important to dress appropriately to the weather you will be facing in order to feel more comfortable with yourself.

Prepare everything you can the night before

Once again, the purpose is to feel fresh and positive in the morning. You need to feel relaxed and positive, but that’s a bit hard if you are thinking about what to eat, what to dress and prepare your bag to go to work. Try to organize everything the night before. If you do it, you will be less likely to forget the keys, the wallet or every other item that you take in and out of your bag every day.

Book/podcast

Having a book or podcast to enjoy on your way to work is a good way to feel positive in the morning. I like reading some books, but I think I will start trying audiobooks and podcasts. This is also a great way to use your time wisely, as you are learning something new that you like instead of not doing anything at all or playing to some addictive game in the phone that stress you out.

Mindfulness

I really need to start improving in this one. It’s so hard for me to clear my mind and not to think about anything… However, the very few times that I get to do it I feel a lot more calm and productive.

Think about those days when you start thinking about hundreds of things since the moment your alarm rings. You don’t know what to wear, you don’t know what to eat, you feel you are forgetting something important and then start thinking about a bunch of other things while getting to work (regards, obligation, conversations, tasks you have to do…etc).

Mindfulness is about simply being in the present moment and not to focus on other things which can make you lose focus of the present time. This makes you feel better and more ready to face any obstacles you may encounter during your day.

Prepare your day

One of the things that help me feel more positive about the day and my obligations is to write the things that I need to do that day. I do it either after I wake up (if I have a lot of time, like on the weekends) or when I arrive at my workplace. It also helps me feel I have my life together and I am not forgetting anything for that day.