7 Ways to Master Your Mornings

Let’s be honest, mornings aren’t for everyone. While some people face mornings with a spring in their step, others prefer not to face them at all. If your morning is currently filled with groaning and rolling over, there is in fact good news! Believe it or not, there are ways to make mornings a more pleasant experience.

Whether you’re a seasoned morning extraordinaire, or a night owl novice that’s trying to get a grip, these 7 tips will help start your day right!

1. Plan Ahead

Instead of scrambling to get things organized the moment you wake up, take some time the night before to prepare what you’ll need. Choose your outfit. Pack your lunch. Ready your work bag. These actions will ensure your mornings go off without a hitch. Avoid facing tough early-morning decisions, or worse, time-consuming dilemmas (like realizing you should have done laundry when picking out clothes). Instead, reserve your brainpower for more important choices to be made later in the day!

2. Avoid Screen Time

In the early moments of the morning, stay away from your phone. Checking emails and social media as soon as you wake is a surefire way to feel stressed before the sun’s fully risen. Instead, ditch the phone as you start your day. This tech-free breather will make sure you aren’t bombarded with information and pending items before you’ve even fully opened your eyes. The longer you can withhold, the better, but a solid 15 minutes without your screen will do wonders!

3. Drink Lemon Water

Lemon water is a great way to start the day! There are so many benefits to enjoying a glass, especially in the morning. For starters, lemon water speeds up your metabolism, helping your body burn fat at increased rates throughout the day. It’s also superb for your digestive health, as lemon assists the liver in flushing away toxins. To top things off, lemon water is also a rich daily source of immune-system enhancing Vitamin C!

4. Stretch

When you wake up, take a moment to give your muscles a good stretch. Stretching yields numerous benefits for the body including increased blood flow, better range of motion, and injury prevention. Stretching is also a great exercise for the mind — it often brings about mindfulness and stillness that helps lower anxiety levels.

5. Change the Alarm

Getting woken up by a rude, obnoxious alarm can be one of the most irritating parts of the morning time. Do yourself a favor and make waking up a little more pleasant by changing your alarm’s ringtone. Try setting it to a happier tune, natural sounds, or a song you like. Even if you’re fine with your current alarm tone, see if you can opt for the “fade in” feature — anything to make it less abrasive.

6. Make the Bed

Making the bed might seem unimportant, maybe even bothersome, but doing so sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. In the words of Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven, who gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task — and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will turn into many tasks completed.” Moral of the story, make your bed, and set your goals in motion!

7. Do Something Inspiring

Even if it’s just for 10 minutes, fit one thing into your morning routine that you absolutely enjoy! Take time to read a book, do a crossword puzzle, listen to a podcast, write in a journal, walk the dog — anything you like! The idea is to start your day doing something that resonates with you and encourages you to take on your day with a happy, renewed perspective. Morning times don’t have to be all about rush and stress, they can also be a great time for reflection and relaxation.