How to Create Your Own Morning Routine
Waking up early - three words all young adults dread. When your alarm goes off, but you just cannot seem to pull yourself out of bed — we’ve all been there. Yet, we must admit that there is something charming about early mornings. For me, the stillness of the world sparks a feeling of serenity and I feel more productive when I’m able to get an early start. Lemony Snicket put it best when he said, “morning is an important time of the day because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” So then how do we set ourselves up for a fulfilling morning?
In order to set yourself up for a successful early morning, it is imperative to ensure you have a good night of rest beforehand. Unfortunately for any night owls, that may mean going to bed an hour or two earlier than you may be accustomed to. At first, this will be difficult (trust me), but going to bed early is mostly about what you do leading up to sleeping. For example, screen usage before bed has been proven to delay sleep, so sadly binging Netflix or scrolling through your Instagram feed at night reduces your quality of sleep. Instead, try spending 30 minutes off screens before your bedtime as this decreased exposure to blue light allows your body to release melatonin, which is the chemical that makes you sleepy.
As for waking up, I have purposefully avoided mentioning a specific time up until now, but don’t worry - you don’t have to wake up at 4:30 am like the Marines (but if you want to, I admire the determination). A general rule of thumb is to wake up two hours before your day must begin. For example, I tend to wake up at 7 am since my work begins at 9 am. Whatever time you do choose to wake up, it can be helpful to wake up around that time every day. Studies have shown that a consistent start to the day makes it easier to get out of bed.
Now that you have woken up (after snoozing two alarms if you’re like me), what’s on the morning agenda? There are a ton of different morning routines out there, and instead of recommending you follow an exact one, I encourage you to be creative with it. Here is a list of potential activities provided by asimpleandcontentedlife.com.
When first trying to establish a morning routine try only choosing two or three of these activities. Then, once you feel like you have a good grip on those, continue to add to your morning agenda. Sticking to a meaningful morning routine injects positive momentum into your day, so just like a breakfast meal, morning is often the most important “time” of the day. It can also help to have something to look forward to first thing in the morning (that first sip of coffee for me) to encourage you to get out of bed and start your day. Even the smallest things can help nudge you in the right direction. Good luck!
