With daylight savings kicking in, getting an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, and finally receiving warmer weather, we may have a greater incentive to wake up in the mornings! However, living in Champaign, we know that our weather can be fairly bipolar, so let us talk about the gloomy mornings where the weather is in the thirties and all you want to do is sleep in and watch Friends all morning; how do you make your morning bright?
There are many ways to do so; these are some of my favorite methods to have a bright and calming morning to start my days.
Get Out of Bed
As soon as you wake up from your alarm or naturally, get out of your bed and stretch your body. Wash your face and have a glass of water; wake yourself up! Once you’ve done this, make your bed. You will be less inclined to climb back into your warm blankets if your bed is made, and you will feel more motivated throughout the day.
Meditate / Morning Yoga
Dedicating this time in the morning to yourself is very important. Your day will begin with a form of self-love and that is a beautiful thing to have each day to yourself. If you do not know how to meditate, that is perfectly okay. Personally, I have used the app Headspace and the beauty of this app is that it allows you to choose a certain amount of time to meditate for. If you are in a hurry and you really only have five minutes, you have the ability to choose this option, or if you want to have a long meditating session, it allows you to pick longer times. If you have ever done yoga alone, you know it can either be a relaxing flow to your morning or it can be a bit difficult as you don’t have an instructor leading you. This issue can be fixed by simply logging on to YouTube. My favorite YouTuber for any kind of yoga (morning, evening, flexibility) is Yoga with Adriene. She is super friendly and she has many videos to choose from so don’t feel intimidated to do yoga!
Put on Some Tunes & Have Fun Getting Ready
Yes, this sounds so cheesy, but trust me, it works! I like to switch things up when I am getting ready in the morning; sometimes, I will listen to Spanish music or bops from back in the day, and other times I will listen to indie bands and chill EDM (we are not trying to get too riled up in the morning). Singing to yourself while doing your hair or makeup is such a mood booster!
Go to the Gym
Normally, I always go to the gym in the mornings because it allows me to feel refreshed for the rest of the day. I have noticed a difference in the days I do not go in the morning versus on the days I do, and the difference is compelling. On the mornings I do, the rest of my day flows beautifully and it allows me to feel grounded with energy. Once you do this and add it into your morning routine, you will not want to go back. (P.S. The ARC opens at 6 AM, so you have little to no excuse to not go!)
Have flowers or plants in your room
My last piece of advice to you is to have flowers or plants in your room. They will make your room seem so much brighter. Plus, if you sleep with your blinds closed, you now have a reason to open them in the morning because your flowers will need sunlight! Additionally, talking to them or singing to them help them bloom and become even more beautiful (and if they last longer than two weeks, it means you bought them with love/they were given to you with love – just an old maid’s tale).
I hope this helps you begin your mornings brighter! Remember that you deserve to shine like the sunlight and in order to begin doing so, you have to make your days bright!