Not a morning person. May as well put that in my obituary. I’d rather take a 10 p.m. yoga class and midnight meeting than do anything in the a.m. I’ve insisted on this for, well, ever. But as it turns out, jobs don’t care and neither does the spinning earth and economy, so here we go. We gotta improve our morning habits and make mornings work for us.
Instead of moaning and groaning your mornings away—been there—it’s time to put a jolt of positive energy into our a.m. time. If I, a notorious morning grump, can roll into the year with positive morning habits and vibes, so can you.
Though it seems like a Goop-y trend, dry brushing has been part of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Every morning I scrub away my sleepiness and dry skin. Nothing perks me up after a painful alarm at an ungodly hour more. While medical evidence is lacking, it’s believed to help stimulate the lymphatic system, increasing circulation and energy. And maybe, just maybe, it helps break down cellulite. Fingers crossed. Get scrubbin’.
Our love for gratitude journals is well documented, but after the year we all had, how about manifesting some magic in the year ahead? There’s something to a manifestation journal that works. First, there’s muscle memory. Writing “I’m going to buy a house by fall” thirty-five times really nails that thought into your subconscious that yes, you will buy a house by fall.
Then there’s the law of attraction, the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into your life. If you can put your wants and needs into words, and then repeat those words for an entire page, those thoughts are more likely to stick into all corners of your brain. Worth a try, no?
…Or any screechy, alarming, um, alarm. No one wants to be startled awake. Instead, ease into your mornings with soothing sunrise lighting and a gentle alarm, a much more natural way to wake up if we didn’t have work to get to and children to tend to.
The New York Times rated the Philips Wake-Up Alarm Clock their favorite, and many others rave about the Hatch. If you’re not ready to drop $100+ on an alarm clock when there’s a perfectly good but slightly irritating one on your phone, consider the iHome Zenergy, which isn’t as sophisticated as the others, but clocks in (get it?) at $50.
A surefire way to turn a good morning into a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day is by rolling over, opening your crusty eyes, and scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
Nobody loves The New York Times app more than I do, but even I know there’s no need to open it before 8:00 a.m. Same goes for email and Instagram. Do you really need to know what that Australian supermodel was posting while you were sleeping? If possible, keep your phone off or in airplane mode until your teeth are brushed and you’re caffeinated enough to deal with that annoying request from your boss.
Hydration queen Dani Bruflodt of Thyme is Honey insists on drinking a glass of warm lemon water with sea salt first thing in the morning. Just a few of the benefits of lemon sea salt water: It can help jump-start digestion, can kill bad bacteria in your mouth and throat, can help decrease inflammation, and may provide an easy boost to your immune system.
At the very least, reach for a glass of water before coffee, so you can rehydrate your body before dehydrating it again.
There’s nothing revolutionary about making your bed every morning. But your mom was right: Make your bed and make your bed every day. The little things, like making your bed, opening your curtains, and putting dirty clothes in the hamper, will make you feel this much more put together when everything else seems out of control.
Instead of scrolling you-know-what again, keep a book of short stories handy. Over your morning tea or coffee (or lemon water with sea salt!), take five or ten minutes to read. It could be one story, one page, or one poem. Whatever you choose, reading will ease you into the morning, priming your brain for a day of creative thinking.
Some mornings I like to remind my friend Jess, who lives a good 2,000 miles from me, how much I miss her. Maybe your bestie needs a reminder that she’s a good mom, or your cousin could benefit from hearing that she’s inspired you to you-name-it, or yet another friend could hear that she has the best butt in town. Sending a quick text doesn’t take much—what, ten seconds?—but it’ll start your day on a good note and start their day on a good note. Win-win.
Cheers to good mornings. Or at least more hydrated, less stressed mornings.
Editor’s Note: This article contains affiliate links. Wit & Delight uses affiliate links as a source of revenue to fund business operations and to be less dependent on branded content. Wit & Delight stands behind all product recommendations. Still have questions about these links or our process? Feel free to email us.
Megan is a writer, editor, etc.-er who muses about life, design and travel for Domino, Lonny, Hunker and more. Her life rules include, but are not limited to: zipper when merging, tip in cash and contribute to your IRA. Be a pal and subscribe to her newsletter Night Vision or follow her on Instagram.
BY Megan McCarty - July 26, 2024
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Thank you for being here. For being open to enjoying life’s simple pleasures and looking inward to understand yourself, your neighbors, and your fellow humans! I’m looking forward to chatting with you.
Megan, your writing is perfect. And funny. Also relatable- keep on…I’ll keep reading!
Agreed! Can’t get enough.
Airplane moda has been my best friend for years ! ahahah
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
These were valuable suggestions! Thanks!
I love these acts of self love which one can practice daily. Thank you for sharing!
I also like to start my day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast, spend some time outdoors and get quality night sleep.
Great ways to start the morning! Dry brushing the body and drinking a glass of lemon water are top on my list. I also like to eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast to start the day with energy.
Sarah
http://www.dietofcommonsense.com
I’ve set an alarm just a handful of times since the beginning of the pandemic and only because I’ve needed to get up earlier than my natural wake time. I feel so much better for it! I’ll need to try a couple of these other pointers too. Thank you 🙂