On a typical day, I wake up about 45 minutes before I have to go to class. The first step is to quickly hit the Snooze button on my phone. 10 minutes later I wake up and sit up in my bed. I spend the next 20 minutes or so scrounging through my cabinets to find some breakfast cereal or a packet of oatmeal to quickly prepare and eat before class. In the cases where I don’t have enough time to eat breakfast, I at least run over to dump my dog’s food into her bowl.
Does this sound like you? I know that I’m surely not the only one whose morning routine is a little stressful. So, for the upcoming week, I pledge to get up earlier and give myself time for a calming morning ritual. Another way to give yourself more time is to, as my mother always says, “Prepare the night before.” Make sure that your essay is inside of the bag you plan on using the next day. Maybe even plan your outfit the night before if you think you can predict this crazy Boston weather we’ve been having lately.
A morning ritual serves to prepare us for the day ahead. Here are some ideas for how to get started.
· Drink a nice warm cup of coffee or tea, depending on what you prefer
· Watch a 30 minute sitcom while eating breakfast
· Meditate for 5 minutes to a relaxing sound. Rainymood.com is my favorite online sound stream
· Make like a yogi and do a few Sun Salutations to greet the morning
· For all you athletes, try a quick morning run
· Flip through a magazine
· Read a book for 30 minutes
Whatever activity you choose to improve your mornings, remember that the little things make all the difference.