Do you wake up to a shrieking alarm every day and stagger blearily into your kitchen looking for coffee?
Do you hate mornings? Do you feel like it takes you hours to wake up?
Maybe you would just like to get more out of your mornings, or maybe you feel like you hit the ground running and never get a chance to take a breath.
Whichever of these scenarios fit, there are things you can do to make mornings a less stressful time that sets the stage for the rest of your day.
Figure Out Your Sleep Needs
The best way to figure out your sleep needs is to have a few weeks where you can get as much as you need without an alarm, but this isn’t realistic for most people.
Since you probably do have to stick to some kind of schedule, try pushing your bedtime back each night until you don’t need an alarm to wake you up in the morning.
Most people need between about seven to nine hours per night. A few outliers need more or less.
Getting an idea of how much sleep you truly need means you can choose a suitable bedtime and create an evening routine to help you relax into it.
Do Some Movement
Getting enough sleep is a great first step to a better morning. Getting some movement in is another great way to reduce the overall stress in your day and your life in general.
You might already have a routine in which you go to a gym, or maybe you would prefer to get out for a run.
However, for some people, the hassle of going to a gym is a barrier along with bad weather or unsuitable outdoor space for exercise.
You might want to consider investing in a home exercise machine, such as a stationary bike, a treadmill or a rowing machine.
The costs can be high, however. Instead of putting one on a credit card, you might want to check out the options for personal loans.
You may be able to get a better interest rate and payment plan this way with less impacts to your budget going forward and get the equipment you need at home.
Tailor Your Routines
Do you like coffee or tea? Is breakfast a must, or do you hate eating before 11? Are you a bath or a shower person?
You’ll read all kinds of things about what you should eat and drink and do when you get up, but the key is to find what makes you feel great and stick to it.
If you want to make getting ready in the morning easier, set yourself up the night before.
If you are a breakfast person, things like overnight oats are a great solution since they can be easily prepper in the evening and available to grab and go in the morning.
Set Your Intention
It can make a real difference in your day if you take just five or 10 minutes out to think about what you want to accomplish.
This can be more formal, in the sense of making a to-do list or a list of goals, or it could be simply about deciding how to go through the day.
You might decide to set an intention to embrace gratitude or forgiveness.
If you do go the to-do list or goal route, be sure that you don’t put too many items on it so that you feel overwhelmed before the day has even begun.
Try to be realistic about what you can accomplish, keeping in mind that everyone needs some down time.