Photo courtesy of Flickr user Susanne Nilsson
In the days nearing midterms, the morning only brings promises of endless stress and too little time. However, the choices made in those first few hours can determine how the rest of the day will continue. Hitting the snooze button two, three or ten times is something most people are guilty of at some point, but letting this behavior become a habit may be the reason it feels like there are never enough hours in the day. While the saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” may be cliche, it holds true and applies to all other areas of a morning routine.
Six tips to starting the day off right:
- GET OUT OF BED. While it may be tempting to sleep until noon on a regular basis, it is time to leave high school habits behind and start waking up at a reasonable hour. Simply sitting up and drinking a glass of water can help shake the sleepiness off, and once the initial daze has passed the rest of the morning will not be as bad as anticipated.
- Down a coffee. There is a reason most coffee drinkers prefer to drink their brew in the morning. If grogginess is what is preventing an early start, a cup of joe may be the solution.
- Eat breakfast. Mothers everywhere are right when it comes to forcing breakfast down in the morning. Without breakfast, there is no source of energy to sustain the rest of the day’s activities. Even something small, like a banana or a piece of toast with peanut butter is better than nothing.
- Exercise. Understandably, going for a run may be the least appealing activity when first waking up, but early risers everywhere can vouch for the benefits an early morning workout can bring. Exercise speeds up the metabolism and gets the heart pumping blood to wake up the brain and the body. The resulting energizing effect can make the approaching day seem less daunting.
- Blast some jams. It is hard to stay sleepy when there is dancing music playing. Make a morning motivational playlist and bust a move while getting ready.
- Take a breath. Thinking about the long list of tasks the daytime will demand can be enough to keep anyone in bed. Instead of beginning the day anxious and overwhelmed by what is to come later on, take a few minutes to breath deeply and tackle the day with a sense of calm determinedness.
The morning can be nightmare or a gift. There is a path of decisions that can be made to guide the day in a positive direction, or choices can be made that will ruin the day from the start. With a little bit of will-power, a potentially awful day can be turned into a productive not-so-terrible one. So get up, get out and enjoy the day!