Do you dread the next morning, not wanting to leave your cozy warm bed? Do you hit the snooze button too often and just can’t make it out of bed? If you answered any of these with yes, I know how it feels. After waking up you wouldn’t know what to do, each step is a hard decision. You check your phone mindlessly, either spending hours unproductively in bed or the other way round sleeping as long as possible, so you have to rush out of bed to get ready feeling stressed and unfulfilled. I’ve been there, done that. Over the last two years I’ve been improving my mornings, started a routine and feel better than ever!
In this article, I share with you six practical tips that you can do in an instant and will help you getting up easier.
1. Drink two glasses of water right after waking up
After a whole night’s sleep your body is naturally dehydrated. By drinking two glasses of water right after you woke up, you do not only give your body cells the much-needed water, it also flushes out any toxins that have been released during your body’s repair. It kickstarts your metabolism and you feel sharp and refreshed. What I do is drinking one liter of water in the first two hours after waking up.
2. Make your room light and bright
You’ve probably heard of the hormone melatonin that is being released in the evening to help you fall asleep and sleep. Light plays a significant role in the melatonin level in your blood stream. At night you should dim the lights to increase this sleep-inducing hormone. In the morning it’s not needed anymore. Though your body is already decreasing the melatonin level before you wake up, you can give it a little boost by turning on the light and/or open the curtains. Ideally, you also open the window, which leads us to the next point.
3. Open the window and breathe in deeply
Yes, open the window and let the cool air get into your room (in case you’re living in a hot climate, let it be cooler air)! The used up oxygen needs to be replaced with some fresh oxygen. Oxygen is crucial for efficient brain activity and helps your body transport the energy into every cell of your body (water does the same thing by the way). So stand by the window or balcony (lucky you) and take some deep breaths. You can close your eyes to intensify the moment.
4. Stretch and exercise
Stretching and moving your body is a great way to instantly feel more awake. Your muscles haven’t been greatly moved during your sleep and the muscles have been loose, leading to stuck fluids here and there. Stretching is like a wake up call for your muscles that says “Hey, good morning, time to get going!”. It activates the fluids in your body and muscles and voilà, you feel more alert and, I bet, better than before.
Pair it with the water you’ve just drunk, the sun shining into your face and the air hitting your lungs, what more can you wish for?
5. Do something you look forward to today
Of course, all those physical changes in the morning may let your BODY wake up (and believe me, this is quite effective). But we human beings need a bit more than that. We want the joy, the happiness, the fun. So do it! Do something you truly enjoy right in the morning. It lifts up your mood, sets you into a positive mindset and will last throughout the day.
Do you like to read? Go out for a walk? Or just enjoy a nice coffee or tea? Do it.
6. Tell your loved ones good morning
Reach out to a lovely person and tell them good morning. May that be the people you live with, your cute pet waiting for you by the door or a significant other on the other side of the country. Humans are in need of social connections to feel good and to survive. By connecting to somebody right in the morning you feel happy and well.
There you have it. Do whatever appeals most to you. Making sure to go to bed on time, sleeping enough and not using the snooze button would be a different topic. If you want to have an easy positive morning, I highly recommend implementing all those six tips into your morning routine, work on it every day and let it run on automation soon.
Good luck!
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About the Author
Serey Mao is a certified digital coach and music therapy student from Germany. She has coached over 100 clients in achieving their goals of losing weight, becoming healthier, waking up early and exercising. Visit Serey’s website.
