Ah, the mornings! If you’re like most people, they’re rushed. You roll out of bed, dress in a flurry, and rush out the door with your hair all over the place and no breakfast. You’re late for work, and who knows if you’ll have time to eat something later. No matter how hard you try to stay calm and focused, it’s nearly impossible. Such a rushed morning creates unnecessary stress and anxiety that you don’t need. But what if there were simple ways to make your mornings less hectic and stressful?
Change Your Wake-Up Time
What’s the biggest factor that causes morning stress? It’s the rush, rush, rush that goes along with waking and starting your day when you have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Spare yourself the added pressure by getting up earlier. Rising 15 minutes earlier will give you time to relax and drink a cup of coffee or tea without feeling hurried, and you can also avoid being late for work or school. Those extra minutes are valuable “me” time, a chance for self-care.
Prep for the Morning the Night Before
Get ready for work or school before bedtime. If you know what needs to be done in the morning, do it before you go to sleep, so there’s no rush in the morning. Pack your bag with everything you’ll need for the upcoming day and set it by the door before you go to sleep. Then, lay out your clothes so they’re ready to put on as soon as you get up. No more struggling to decide what to wear either! Doing this will take pressure off. With everything in place, you won’t have to rush around and worry about getting to work on time.
Declutter
Clutter is an underappreciated cause of stress. When you’re getting ready in the morning, you need a streamlined environment. Spend 20 minutes the night before decluttering, so you can have a seamless experience in the morning. The only things that should be in your sight when you awaken are the clothes you’ll wear and the items you’ll take with you to work or school. Make sure everything else is in its place and out of sight. Not having to sift through clutter and excess “stuff” will dramatically reduce the stress and urgency you feel in the morning.
Have Breakfast Ready When You Awaken
Good nutrition matters, and it starts with the first meal of the day. Don’t head out the door without it. Have it ready when you wake up. A ready-to-go breakfast will take the stress out of prepping it and you’ll still head out the door with a full stomach.
Here’s the closest thing you can get to an instant breakfast. Add steel-cut oats and water to a slow cooker and program it to cook overnight and simmer. It’ll be ready to eat in the morning. Then add berries and nuts, and you have a nutritious meal that’s hassle-free.
Give Yourself a Morning Indulgence
Having something to look forward to when you wake up helps ease the stress of a hectic morning. Now that you’ll be getting up 15 minutes earlier, you’ll have a little more “me time.” Choose how you want to fill those extra minutes. It could be a few sun salutations, a meditation session, stretching, or sipping a hot cup of coffee or tea. You can even get a programmable coffee maker, so a hot cup of liquid bliss is ready when you wake up. Enjoy every sip!
Play Background Tunes
Music has the power to invigorate or relax. Choose your tunes wisely. If you feel stressed and anxious in the morning, choose a playlist to listen to in the background that calms, like New Age music. Listen while you’re eating breakfast and while you’re dressing. You’ll be surprised how much it will relax you. A study found that listening to relaxing tunes prior to a stressor altered hormonal, mental, and cognitive effects of that stress. Music serves as a distraction from stress and may have other effects that reduces the body’s stress response. Take advantage of that in the morning and get your day off on a relaxing note.
Start the Morning with a Positive Mantra
It’s important to start your day with a positive thought process. Use the power of affirmations to help you when you wake up in the morning and throughout the day. Affirmations are positive statements that you repeat over and over and allow you to gain control over your thoughts and feelings. It could be a positive quote, a word, or a phrase.
When you awaken, say something positive to yourself first thing. You might focus on your breath and repeat the mantra “I am calm” as you inhale and exhale. Or you might simply repeat “I am ready” as you take deep breaths. This process should take just a few minutes, but it can have a big impact on how you feel as the day begins. What you do first thing in the morning sets the tone for the day. Make sure it’s positive, uplifting, and memorable for the most benefits.
The Bottom Line
Every morning is a new day, a chance to start over and be better than yesterday. Make your mornings less stressful by changing how you approach each sunrise. By making a few small changes, you can have a more relaxed day.
References:
“How Mantras Calm Your Mind | Psychology Today.” 14 Aug. 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201508/how-mantras-calm-your-mind.
“Mantra: A Powerful Way to Improve Your Well-Being ….” 29 Jun. 2019, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-forward/201906/mantra-powerful-way-improve-your-well-being.
“Releasing Stress Through the Power of Music | Counseling ….” https://www.unr.edu/counseling/virtual-relaxation-room/releasing-stress-through-the-power-of-music.
“5 Reasons Why Clutter Disrupts Mental Health | Psychology ….” 13 May. 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201705/5-reasons-why-clutter-disrupts-mental-health.
Thoma MV, La Marca R, Brönnimann R, Finkel L, Ehlert U, Nater UM. The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response. Newton Robert L, ed. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(8):e70156. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070156
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