Imagine this: your alarm rings for the third time, you groggily look at your phone and OH MY GOSH, IT’S 7:43… and you have an 8:00 am! You may be able to get your butt in a seat in time (maybe a minute late), but it’ll take you a good ten minutes to calm down and get un-frazzled from the first twenty minutes of your day which were, ahem, STRESSFUL. You go to pull out your notebook and… wrong class. This. Day. Is. Cancelled.
The morning sets the stage for your entire day—so make it good! Ultimately, the best advice I can give is to take time to prepare for the day ahead. Different things work best for different people, but here’s a few ideas of things that always set me up to have the bestest of days:
1. Prepare the night before!
Yep, the first step is actually before the morning. Get your backpack packed, clothes laid out, room cleaned, alarm set, and coffee ready to brew.
2. Wake up early!
Don’t take that coffee to-go. Instead, pencil in some time to snuggle up on the couch with a cup of coffee or tea and relax for 20 minutes before the madness of the day.
3. Drink a glass of water!
This is a good way to kickstart your metabolism, increase energy, and get your body working. After a whole night without water, your body is thirsty!
4. Hit the gym!
Getting your workout in early can give you lasting energy throughout the day, make you feel lighter on your feet, choose healthier foods, and enhance focus during class. Another plus: you then have your whole day open and it’s not hanging over your head… maybe you can even squeeze in a nap later!
5. Shower!
A sure fire way to wake yourself up: splash some water on your face, cold or warm—this will make you feel clean and ready to have a good day.
6. Read!
Not only do you want to wake up your body, but wake up your mind too! I like to do my daily devos to carve out that time with God, but you could also read a recreational book or journal. Try to stay away from electronics though; you have the whole day to be glued to them.
7. Eat a good breakfast!
Do you know how excited I get for a big, healthy, delicious breakfast? Really freakin excited. It’s the most important meal of the day, so treat it as such!
8. Jump out of bed right away!
Wanna know why it’s so hard to wake up in the morning? Because you dread it and make it a drawn-out process. It’s like ripping off a bandaid—when your alarm goes off, jump out of that cozy cocoon and kickstart your day. You’ll be thankful for the extra 10 minutes later that you would have wasted in bed on your phone.
9. Present yourself well!
I love my comfy days in a sweatshirt and leggings as much as everyone else, but I gotta say I feel so much more productive, confident, and happy when I put the time in to my appearance. Whatever that means for you—if it’s putting on makeup, doing your hair, wearing a cute outfit, wearing heeled shoes—look good, feel good!
I realize this is kind of a long list… this doesn’t all have to be done every morning! Be realistic about it. If you won’t be able to wake up early enough and get your butt out of bed to go to the gym, then schedule it for later and pick something else that will work better for you. As much as I’d like to, I don’t have time for all of these every morning, and you probably don’t either! Pick a few things for each morning and watch your days transform.
Happy Living! Your bestest days lie ahead :)
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