What happens in the morning sets us up for the entire day. A morning where everything goes wrong can set a tone that isn’t conducive to good health. If you constantly find that your mornings are stressful, hectic and not enjoyable, there are things you can do to make them run more smoothly.
Some planning the night before and developing a morning routine can make a big difference in helping you to not just survive, but to thrive. It’s almost impossible to recover from a bad morning and have a productive and joyful day.
Action – A good plan helps everything work better. By limiting the number of decisions we have to make first thing in the day, we can get ready quickly and efficiently. A morning spent hunting for the keys to the car or realizing that the outfit you want to wear has a stain on it are issues that can be avoided, providing you extra time so you aren’t so rushed.
If you have kids to get ready as well as yourself, then the extra moments spent planning ahead on the weekend or the night before will really come in handy. It’s when we are stressed and rushing around that everything seems to go wrong, so avoid it as much as possible.
Steps – Get into a routine of knowing what you want to wear at least one day ahead. Ideally, plan the week’s wardrobe on the weekend and that will give you more time in the mornings to slow down and set a relaxed tempo. It’s the same with breakfast or lunch – any advance preparation you can do will free up energy and time that you can use doing something more important.
Develop a routine that works for you and the people you need to get ready. Look at your calendar the night before so you will know what you need for the day. Start to get up ten minutes earlier than normal if you always have to rush out the door. It’s peace of mind that we are after here. Leaving the house in a stressed, anxious state is neither good for your body nor does it support your mental health.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Stressful mornings cause your body to feel like it’s under attack. Adrenaline and cortisol begin to flow and then the body needs to deal with calming itself down. Blood pressure and pulse rate increase, digestion slows or stops, and anxiety steals any peacefulness and calm that the mind craves. That extra ten minutes of sleep you thought would help you can actually be harmful if it leaves you late and scrambling to get out the door.
It’s so much nicer to have time to sip a cup of coffee or tea, have breakfast while sitting down and paying attention to what you are eating, be able to make sure that you have everything you need before leaving, and get out the door or start your day in a relaxed state. Avoid stress as much as possible for your health and sanity.
Example – Have your clothes ready. Know what you need for lunch. Have breakfast that is easy to prepare, or something healthy and ready to eat like granola and yogurt. Get up a little earlier and have as few decisions to make as possible. Having an extra ten minutes to meditate would be even better.
Set up the morning to work for you and not against you. It will make a big difference in how you feel all day.