Do you have a hard time waking up in the morning and then show up to work at Indian Standard Time (IST)? Are you cranky and slow to get ready? Do you wish you could be efficient in the morning?
Your morning routine can set the tone for the rest of your day. Here are five ideas to help you feel more energetic in the morning.
1) Put your alarm clock in the bathroom
This trick works a lot better than keeping my alarm clock near my bed. We tell ourselves that we won’t sleep in, but we still hit the snooze button when we have our alarm clocks near our bed. When you put your alarm clock in the bathroom, you have to get up and walk to turn it off. Once you’re in the bathroom, you might as well brush your teeth, shower, and put on your makeup—instead of going back to bed.
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2) Check your Vitamin D levels
South Asian parents tell you to stay out of the sun to avoid getting darker. One cause of low Vitamin D is a lack of sunlight due to staying indoors. A client of mine would sleep for 12 hours every day until her doctor told her that she was deficient in Vitamin D. After taking supplements, she found it easier to get up on her own after 7-8 hours of sleep. Other sources of Vitamin D can be found in fish, egg yolks, and cheese.
3) Try exercising in the morning, instead of after work
You might tell me, “I don’t have time to work out in the morning!” But some type of physical activity in the morning can boost endorphins that put you in a good mood for the rest of the day. When you work out in the evening, falling asleep at night can be difficult, leading to the morning wake up struggle. If your mornings are busy, you don’t have to do an intense workout. Some yoga stretches or a light walk can be a good start.
4) Put your iPhone down at least an hour before you go to bed
I am guilty of this. We all are. I like to chat with friends and read about random topics before going to bed. The blue light and information overload can be too stimulating and bright at night. Try doing something relaxing and unwinding instead, like meditating, reading a physical book, or writing. Having a good sleep routine will make it easier to feel rested in the morning. Also, if you have it, make sure you turn on the night shift setting on your phone to dim that blue light.
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5) Just do it, even when you don’t feel like it
That’s the motto of successful people when they know they need to get things done. Many of us have days when we don’t want to get out of bed. But you can push yourself to do it! Once you get past that urge to sleep in, you will feel better. It’s easy to make excuses by saying, “I will get up in 15 minutes,” or “I will skip putting makeup on today and run out the door.” Not giving yourself enough time to get prepared in the morning can leave you feeling uneasy throughout the day. Try to see if you can motivate yourself to get up early, even when you don’t want too.
Change doesn’t happen overnight. People can wake up early one morning feeling ready to take charge but slip up by pressing snooze the next day. Be patient with yourself. It takes practice to form a new habit, so try and see what works for you in the morning. The more you force yourself to just do it, the sooner you will start waking up with ease!
