How To Become A Morning Person

I am starting this post with literally my top tip on becoming a morning person. I’m skipping ANY fluff today! The number one trick to becoming a morning person is to:

 

ELIMINATE MOST MORNING STRESSES

 

Yes. This is PRIORITY so that you can look forward to waking up in the morning! Here are the principles that I live by and how I became a morning person after dreading getting up in the mornings. My son is an early riser. I never was. My mom used to have to drag me out of bed in the mornings. My son wakes up at 6:30 am like clockwork even if he goes to bed past his bedtime! It used to be so exhausting and I used to feel like the day was so long waking up so early, but now, I plan out my mornings so that I feel productive before 9 AM and it really works. Productivity for me isn’t necessarily about getting work done. It’s about self-care productivity. If I get some reading done, a workout in, a healthy breakfast and don’t feel overly stressed, and get my son to eat his breakfast, and get him successfully off to preschool with a healthy lunch and snack, I call that a productive morning.

 

SCHEDULE OUT YOUR MORNING ON YOUR CALENDAR

 

This is important to do before you start waking up early. Plan out the things you will do in the morning, even your coffee time, reading time, getting the kids ready for school, so that you can visually see all that you can accomplish in the mornings. It will leave you feeling motivated and organized, like it’s something you have to do because it’s scheduled into your calendar, so you don’t even have to think about it.

 

 

LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN

 

This might go against what some people think, but it totally works for me. If you can, try not to sleep with black out curtains, let some light in so you can wake up with the natural light. If it doesn’t work for you and you can’t sleep at night with some light in your room, then don’t do it of course, sleep is #1 priority. However, you should just try to see what it’s like to wake up with the natural light, it may help you wake up earlier! I used to close all the blinds but then it was so harsh opening them to bright lights in the morning, I like to wake up gradually, as I am not a fast mover in the AM. Letting some light in was amazing in making my body and my natural rhythms help me wake up in the mornings. Sometimes I wake up and watch the sun rise and it just sets the tone for a beautiful day.

 

 

GET SOME SUNSHINE/FRESH AIR

 

This falls into my previous tip. Step outside on your balcony or porch with your coffee or tea to soak up some nature or go for a short walk, breathe in some fresh air, even if it’s chilly! If it’s too cold, open your window and stick your nose up to it to breathe in the air. It will clear your sinuses and wake up your eyes. If you can sit outside that is even better, and if you can go for a short walk, that is a bonus. Walk your dog or go to check the mail, nothing too crazy but it will help you wake up on the right foot and get energized for the day.

 

 

PLAN YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DO IT!

 

A workout or yoga/meditation should be planned every morning. Your body wants to move, it doesn’t want to stay still! You need to get up and move around, it doesn’t have to be a hard workout, it can be some light stretching, but get your blood circulating, it will help with morning headaches as well. I often wake up with a headache and a heavy feeling behind my eyes. I have allergies, so that might be why. Exercising helps move blood around and really makes my headaches go away it’s pretty crazy how well it works! Try it!

 

 

USE AN ALARM – 1 SNOOZE MAX

 

I would say an alarm is necessary if you’re not naturally a morning person and it’s not in your natural rhythm to wake up early. I like setting it to the radio instead of a loud siren noise, just to not feel stressed as soon as I wake up. The alarm noise startles me, and I don’t like waking up startled, it usually makes me end up feeling anxious during the morning. I never let myself do more than one 10-minute snooze. In fact, I set my alarm 10 minutes before I need to wake up to account for that 10-minute snooze! If I snooze again, I’m not off to a good start.

 

 

EAT BREAKFAST

 

Make sure it’s something you like! Keep it healthy with some protein as well. I like making healthy muffins and popping them in the freezer, so I just have to defrost them in the morning with my fruit and Greek yogurt smoothie. I have all the fruit already washed and frozen, so I just have to throw everything in my Vitamix, and we are good to go! Making breakfast for the kids can be a pain, usually my son will have a muffin as well with a drinkable yogurt. Nothing too messy especially during the week. On the weekend we do eggs, pancakes, or bagels and cream cheese, it’s more relaxed.

 

MAKE LUNCHES FOR EVERYONE THE NIGHT BEFORE

 

You don’t have to be rushed in the morning, make everyone’s lunches the night before and stick them in the fridge so all you have to do in the morning is get them packed up with their school bags, this has been a lifesaver for me since my son has started preschool. If I don’t make his lunch the night before I dread waking up in the morning and rushing around trying to make his lunch last minute, I really dislike being late and running to school so it’s the best way to be able to maintain a relaxed state in the morning, it really helps start me off on the right foot with my anxiety levels.

 

CLEAN UP KITCHEN THE NIGHT BEFORE

 

Okay…so, isn’t it the ABSOLUTE worst thing to wake up to a messy gross and smelly kitchen in the morning while you’re making your brew? You have to get into the habit of cleaning up the kitchen the night before! Have dinner, relax, and then put on some music and clean up the kitchen! Get the whole family to help you, it is so cathartic to get it all squeaky clean the night before so you can look forward to the morning in a nice clean kitchen that doesn’t smell like last night’s dinner!

 

These are seriously my best tips for how I became a morning person. Less stress and keep yourself organized and accountable! It will surely make you feel productive in the morning and then you will end up looking forward to waking up. Always come from a place of gratitude in the morning. Instead of saying “I HAVE to wake up” think of it as “I GET to wake up”. It really puts things in perspective. Coming from someone who often feels down, this has helped tremendously in my mindset. Becoming a morning person has definitely changed my life for the better!

 

Ellenie is a wife and mom to one amazing and spirited little boy. She is a social media manager and virtual assistant. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a special focus on generalized anxiety disorders and OCD. She has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks her whole life. Ellenie has been finding positive ways to conquer her mental battles every day and would love to share them with anyone who also suffers from an anxiety disorder. She also has Crohn’s Disease and has written about living with its struggles and raising a young baby. Ellenie lives in Montreal, Quebec, but is planning on traveling a lot in the near future. She loves to stay active and eat healthily, a few of the key lifestyle changes that have helped her with her mental and physical health struggles.

You can find her on her website, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.