If you’re anything like me, you worship your bed. It’s our sanctuary of sleep, our place of peace, and a soft quiet home from the bustling world that goes on around us. The cozy blankets swallowing our bodies and the plush pillows capturing our dreams make it incredibly difficult to stop hitting snooze for the fifth time already. Waking up is still one of the most difficult things I do all day, but I’ve learned how to start taking advantage of the morning I’m given every day, especially in college. It all starts with a simple thought of realizing each new sunrise is a true gift. So, here are some tips on how to turn your night owl into a happy morning bird.
Stop Hitting Snooze
As much as we think those extra ten, 20, maybe even 30 more minutes of sleep are helping us gain energy for the day, we’re actually tricking our bodies into thinking we’re waking up, when we really are not. A psychological state called sleep inertia occurs when the body awakes during a deep sleep. This state is what most people feel in the morning when they wake up with groggy eyes, slow motor skills, and maybe even grumpiness. Without snooze, this state lasts for about 30 minutes. When you hit snooze, your body goes back into a more deeper sleep, so when you hit snooze every ten minutes, you’re giving yourself an even worse case of sleep inertia that can last for up to four hours after finally waking up. So, hit your alarm once and save yourself from the drowsy mornings and grumpy attitudes.
Make Your Bed and Open Your Blinds
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. Making your bed will [reinforce] the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.” – U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven
I used to never make my bed when I was living at home. Once I went to college, I decided to make my bed just because it looked more organized and clean. However, making my bed every morning started to put my mind in the mindset of having a task and doing it right. It also stimulates your body to be more productive throughout the rest of the day and stay focused. As for opening the blinds, sunshine is a great way to soak up the energy of the earth and radiate it throughout the rest of your day! Don’t just wake your body up – wake up your living space.
Make Time for Breakfast
It’s an overheard phrase, but I’m still going to write it – breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Setting aside time for breakfast is extremely important to create a better day for yourself. As much as grabbing a granola bar for the road is more convenient and faster, sitting down and actually enjoying your meal will give you the energy for your day to do great things! As for what you’re eating, make it healthy and filled with nutrients to get you going. Skip the double cream and sugar you’re about to add to your coffee and substitute it for a hot mug of green tea with honey. Yes, tea has caffeine too, but also many more benefits for the body.
Stretch It Out
Awaken your beautiful body with the stretches of a warrior… literally. Stretching increases blood flow and energy that sends oxygen to your muscles – you can even do simple stretches in bed! Start by working from your toes to your head, crunching your toes, flexing your feet, sucking your belly button to your back, rolling out your shoulders, twisting your fingers, and so on. If you want to get deeper into your stretching, look up a few basic yoga poses like downward dog and warrior. Most importantly, value the meditation that yoga offers with a 5-minute period of just focusing on your breathing. Reward yourself with natural endorphins and just be ~Zen~.
Plan Your Day
The most helpful thing I’ve done in college is create a more productive day by writing out all my tasks. I started with writing simple tasks like “breakfast and tea” as my first priority to make sure I gave myself time for that. Then, I added the important things, like classes and actual scheduled events. By writing out my important events, it gave me a visual of where to add the other important aspects to my day, like working out, doing homework, and eating meals. Each action of crossing off a new task naturally gave me the satisfaction of getting things done. It also allowed me to schedule out my day more efficiently, so I didn’t need to worry about forgetting anything.
Get Into A Routine
Like having a planner, it’s important to find a routine and stick to it, especially if you want to become more organized. Keep in mind that having a routine doesn’t mean that your day is so planned out that you have no room for fun! A good routine just has the important basics in there to make sure you’re productive and motivated all day long. Make a time slot for the gym, meals, classes, and most importantly: relaxation time. In some ways, a good routine makes you look forward to certain events in your day that you know are coming.
Get Motivated and Be Positive
I think this is the most important thing to have in the morning to create a better day for yourself. A positive mindset is a very valuable attribute that will successfully get you to go out of your comfort zone and achieve greatness. Greatness comes in all kinds of forms, from actually getting out of bed to running that extra mile. A motivated mind will push you to stay on track and really realize each day is a new adventure, even when you’re at college. So challenge yourself today to end the negative thoughts and maybe even comments, and start radiating positivity to yourself and the people around you.
Of course, starting your day off right comes with dedication to time and energy to make sure you aren’t rushing through these important morning activities. A good morning leads to a great day, so get up and start living! Don’t worry, your bed will be patiently waiting for you when you come home – it’s such a loyal friend.
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