AVOID THESE 5 MORNING HABITS TO HELP GET YOUR DAY OFF TO A BETTER START.

In March 2020 I began working on a business idea. It was around this time that the pandemic began to take root and the first of the restrictions came into play. 

With homeschooling duties, I didn’t have time in the day to focus on much else, so I needed to get up early and fit in a couple of hours before the household woke up.

Now, I’m not and nor have I ever, EVER been a morning person. I also don’t think I would have been able to sustain this, had it not been spring and I didn’t have a project to motivate me. It turned out to be a blessing.

I realized that the more I stuck to this early morning thing, the more I began to look forward to and cherish that time. And every aspect of my day would be better for it.

There is something so tranquil and grounding in the solitude of an early morning. That time when it’s just you and the outside world hasn’t yet begun making demands of you.

If you are looking to start a new habit, I recommend early mornings as a serious contender. So many other good habits can develop from this.

Just as doing the right things first thing can make your day, so can bad habits set the stage for a less-than-satisfactory day.

There are little things that can get in your way and keep you stuck or just give you an all-around sh!tty day. Sh!tty days, bring sh!tty habits and can crumble even the strongest resolve.

Leave your device alone

Checking your phone before you get out of bed is singularly one of the most effective ways of screwing up your day. Looking at social media or emails can leave you feeling stressed before your feet have even hit the floor.

You have just come out of relaxed sleep and choose to bombard your nervous system with stimuli. Add to that, the feelings of negativity social media can bring out (‘momparison’, friend-envy, inciteful posts) and anxiety induced by work emails. This can send your nervous system into overdrive. Mini-stressors like these can leave you ill-equipped to deal with any additional stress that you may face during the day.

Try to not check your phone until you have at least climbed out of bed and had a glass of water. Even better, check it later, once your morning routine is complete and you are feeling fortified. Perhaps resolve to only check social media once the kids have been fed and sent to school.

Do not let your emails or Kim-and-Kanye (is that still a thing?!) dictate your day.

Hitting snooze/ Hesitating

The snooze button. Don’t do it. If you hit that button and drift off, you begin a whole new sleep cycle. This means that when your alarm goes off again you could be heading toward a state of deep sleep, leaving you feeling tired and sluggish when you are wrenched out of it. 

I use Mel Robbins’ 5-second rule. The moment you wake up, count down from 5 and get up before you reach 1. If you have a goal you need to act on, the science behind this is that you should move forward/take action within this window. Any longer and you are more likely to change your mind.

Try it next time you’re tempted to hit snooze.

Coffee before water

When you wake up your cortisol (stress hormone) levels are at their peak, to help you get moving for the day. Bombarding your nervous system with another stimulant adds stress and over time can lead to higher caffeine tolerance. This can result in needing more stimulants to get you to the same place.

It can also contribute to an energy slump later in the day – a bit like the blood-sugar rollercoaster. 

Wait until you are up and your blood sugar has stabilized. Replenish your fluids by drinking a glass of water first (with a slice of lemon is a great morning kick starter).

Complaining

When you complain, your levels of cortisol increase and so if you are a habitual complainer, this can have the same effect on your health as chronic stress does. Frequent complaining can also rewire and have a lasting negative impact on your brain.

Waking up early gives you the headspace to choose your attitude. We all have a choice in how we respond to things and if you begin your day with a negative mindset, it’s likely to be that mindset that accompanies you for the rest of the day.

You are also more likely to find things to complain about if you check your phone, so this is another reason not to – not until you have locked in your attitude for the day.

Putting off exercise

My Achilles heel. It’s so easy for me to deprioritize exercise. I need to work really hard to ensure that work-life admin does not squeeze its way to the forefront of every day.

Exercise is a mood-enhancer and can also decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. If you start your day with exercise, you are more likely to be in a good mood than if you do not.

We know what comes with a good mood – productivity, energy and the chance that you might just pass it on.

Morning exercise is also associated with more movement throughout the rest of the day. That can’t be a bad thing, surely?

There are so many health benefits to exercise. If you do it first thing, it’s also less likely that your exercise schedule will be disrupted by distractions that pop up later in the day.

Starting the right way really does set you up for the day. 100-per cent good days do not occur all the time, but if we take small, CONSISTENT steps, we can definitely increase the ‘good vs bad day’ ratio.

These daily practices will begin to have positive effects on your habits, which can lead to all sorts of awesome. Start with one and take it from there.

Spend your mornings well.