Having a regular morning routine is not particularly simple, especially if you live in a dorm with a roommate who sleeps in a bit later than you. And, of course, that little voices likes to swarm your mind: You still have an hour before class, anyways… why not just sleep in a bit later and speed-walk to class like always? Goodness, this bed feels so nice… who needs showers, anyways. Let’s just sleep a bit more…. You know, that voice.
The thing is: getting up just a bit earlier and beginning a morning routine can be incredibly beneficial. No promises of course, but ideally, by getting up a bit earlier and doing the same things every morning, it will help you have a clearer head for class or work, and you’ll feel cleaner, healthier and you may even be a bit more passionate and creative than usual. Overall, starting your day off right with a morning routine will help the day sail somewhat smoothly and feel more structured.
However, it’s important to have a good morning routine, which entails good morning habits. Scrolling through your phone and munching on leftover Chinese first thing in the morning may not make you feel any better and, in fact, may make you feel even worse.
So, here are 6 things you should start doing every morning to help start your days off right:
Make your bed
I’m sure you’ve heard this one a lot, all throughout childhood at least, but making your bed has actually been proven to make you feel more productive in the mornings. Also, it stops you from curling back into the sheets. I’d suggest making your bed the moment you step onto the floor. If making your bed seems silly, do it anyways–there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishing something upon waking up.
Drink a cold glass of water
First thing in the morning, I like to brew myself coffee and chug it down before all else, without even the slightest thought of water, but it’s important to stay hydrated. Sure, coffee and green tea are great things to drink in the morning, but water is just as efficient at waking you up, and it’ll feel refreshing and will be good for your body. Fetch a small glass, fill it up, sip it down and feel the difference in yourself. Then, of course, drink that delicious coffee.
Do some light exercise
Exercise isn’t particularly fun, but it will do wonders for you in the morning. I suggest tossing on some running shorts and a tank-top and finding a video on youtube that’s no more than 15 or 20 minutes. Yoga is great, because while it’s a good workout, it’s also calming and meditative and it doesn’t require too much effort, but cardio and ab workouts are great as well. Anything that gets you up and moving and isn’t speed-walking to class is awesome, really. Exercise helps get your juices flowing, helps stretch out those tense muscles, and releases those built-up internal toxins, and it just makes you feel good (at least afterwards). It’s important to incorporate exercise into your morning, or at least daily routine.
Start Morning Pages
So, I’ve recently discovered this magical thing called Morning Pages– every morning, you fill out 3 entire pages in a private journal about anything you’d wish, such as last night’s dream, your goals for the day, your fears, your favorite things… anything you can think about, write it down. Three pages of your aimless, morning thoughts and that is all. If you don’t know what to write, write song lyrics or make a to-do list. Just write.
Morning Pages are a great way to help declutter your mind for the day and just reconnect with yourself. I’ve only done it for three days, but I can already feel a difference– I feel refreshed, more creative, and I definitely feel that I’m in a healthier state in mind.
Eat a good breakfast
It’s easy to drink a cup of coffee and call that your morning meal, but a healthy breakfast is so important for a good day. Try to stay away from carbs and eat mostly eggs, fruit, oatmeal, or nuts… anything with protein and healthy sugars, really. Eating carbs like pancakes and unhealthy sugars like syrup can make you feel hungrier and drowsy throughout the day, while protein and healthy sugars will fill you up and give you the drive you needed to get your tasks started.
It may be a hassle, but I’d recommend you try getting up a bit earlier to eat a filling, healthy breakfast. You might just like it!
Plan your day
I don’t know about you, but my nose is always nesselted deep within my bullet journal, or in your case, a possible planner. Every morning I scan over what I have to do that specific day, and I make alterations or I add some things or I write down my ambitions, goals and gratitudes, etc.. While journaling helps me sort my thoughts, writing out my to-do list and planning my day helps get my head in the game for my busy day. Whether you have a planner, bullet journal, or a gum wrapper, try writing down and prioritizing today’s tasks first thing in the morning and look back on the list all throughout the day.
Of course, I don’t do these things everyday, nor do I necessarily have a structured morning schedule. Heck, I sleep in nearly every day! But, by at least trying to add these 6 things to my morning routine, I am working toward a better, more productive morning, and I can already feel a major difference in my mental and psychical health.
There are plenty of other things you can add to your morning routine, such as meditation, tapping, gratitude, affirmations, stretching, showering, applying makeup, etc., but I just added the tasks that I feel have impacted me personally the most.
So, I hope you enjoyed reading about these tasks, and I do hope you incorporate them into your morning routine.
Oh, and may I just add–try staying off of your phone throughout the morning. Just do it–this is your time, anyways. Turn it on do-not-disturb and prepare for the day by listening to nature sounds or just by letting your thoughts roam. Try being mindful, perhaps!
Okay, that is all!
Probably writing,
Brittney