Your alarm rings for the fourteenth time and you automatically reach for your phone and hit snooze. The next thing you know the light streaming through your bedroom blinds are a little bit too bright to only be 6am… wait…WHAT? I’m late!!!!
You hastily brush your teeth with one hand while you put force the wrong leg into the wrong pant leg thinking today, you’ll nail this acrobatic balancing act. But you don’t and instead toothpaste dribbles down your chin and lands on the front of your unwashed blouse. Your ponytail has made a move to the side of your head overnight and is just barely holding up.
You manage to swipe a few strokes of dried out mascara on your lashes and you’re getting nervous because your favorite lipstick– or your only lipstick is nowhere in sight.
OMG.
You rush to the kitchen and you get a sick feeling remembering you fell asleep thinking about packing your lunch for work but never actually packed it AGAIN. So you scramble around to find a five dollar bill and some change for when you have to go across the street to get your usual Big Breakfast with hotcakes.
Does this sound familiar? It happens. As a matter of fact, this happens a lot and it happens to me but don’t beat yourself about it. Take a deep breath and take the next few tips to heart so that tomorrow can be day one of having a good morning.
The night before:
- Pack your lunch. Don’t just dream about it, pack it this time! Honestly, anything is better than nothing. Even if you only have time to pack a snack, that’s one less trip to the vending machine and one less unhealthy choice you’ll make later on in the day. It’s always a good idea to fill up your water bottle as well so that you can sip on it while driving to work/school.
- Pick out your outfit. Check the weather and pick out your outfit accordingly (including shoes). The last thing you want is to don a skirt when it’s 40 degrees out or even worse– experience an outfit malfunction when you can’t find your other pair of nude heels.
- Change your alarm to something pleasant to wake up to. Maybe it’s a sunrise simulating alarm clock, or maybe it’s the tune to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood song. The worst thing to do is to wake up to the sound of clanking bells and shrilling beeps. It seriously messes up your morning vibes.
- Unplug. Bluelight can impair the body’s ability to get sound sleeps so set yourself a reminder to not allow any screen time at least 30 minutes to an hour before bed. I know aimlessly scrolling through emails and swiping through IG stories seem harmless, but that might be the very reason your sleep quality isn’t the best.
The morning of:
- Snooze ONCE. If you’re a serial snoozer, it’s almost impossible to stop snoozing cold turkey. Try snoozing just ONCE before getting up. This takes practice but the goal is to reduce the amount of times you snooze to zero.
- Have a mini “Me Time” while you are still on your bed. To make sure you don’t fall back asleep, do this while sitting up. Whether that’s reciting your life verse (mine is Psalm 118:24) or doing a 2-minute deep breathing exercise, do it undistracted and in silence.
- Sip on room temperature water. Hydrating yourself first thing in the morning is a sure way to wake your body up. Want to make it fancy? Add a squeeze of lemon or a shot of apple cider vinegar! Remember, you are not downing the entire glass in one sitting. Sip on it throughout the morning.
- Crack open the window and stretch. It’s always nice to get fresh air first thing in the morning. Ventilating your space is vital so inhale all that fresh air while you stretch and get some Vitamin D while you’re at it! This is especially important if you have a long commute to work/school since you’ll be cramped up in the sitting position for an extended amount of time.
Now that your body is slowly gaining momentum, you are ready to take on the day like a champ. It’s an investment to have a good morning. The more effort you put in, the better your morning will be. It won’t take as much effort, energy, and concentration once it becomes a habit. Remember, the amount of time your body takes to form a habit is about 3 weeks so stick to these tips for 21 days and enjoy all of the positive changes!
Hope you all have a good morning!
I loved this article! it is so hard to only snooze once, but the days that I do, or that I don’t snooze at all, tend to be far better than the ones where I snooze 3-4 times. I will definitely have to try drinking water while I get ready – that is such an easy way to get some early hydration in!
Thank you for sharing!
Seriously! I’m the same way! Hope these tips work for you! Let me know how it works out! I’d love to know!