Sometimes it’s hard to get going in the morning. I totally get it. I don’t consider myself to be a “morning person,” but I feel that it’s important to try and learn to love those early hours of the day.
It’s not always rainbows and sunshine first thing in the a.m. I find myself in a habit of hitting the snooze button one, two, even five times. What can I say? I love sleep. I always want more! I also don’t wake up looking glamorous when I lift myself out of a puddle of drool with crazed pink and blonde hair. I most likely will use the one eye open/one eye closed approach to navigate my way around the house, which I like to call “squint face.” It’s usually a slow start, and I’m not always the most pleasant person to be around in the early morning.
I don’t think we were all designed to be “morning people,” and that’s OK. What we can all do is work toward being better morning people.
This is what I’ve found to be helpful in my journey of becoming a morning lover. Be prepared to give yourself a little extra time each morning. Maybe it’s just 15 more minutes. No biggie, right?
1. Get good sleep. It’s hard to be charming in the morning if you haven’t slept well.
2. Change the sound or song that you use as an alarm. Find something different, something pleasant.
3. Before you open your eyes, smile. Take a deep breath and feel gratitude for another day. This is an important step; do not skip it.
4. Stretch! Yes, you’re still in bed. Stretch. Slowly start to wake up the body rather then jumping right out of bed.
5. If you are lucky enough to wake up next to someone you love (or like) roll over and tell them “Good morning, I love you.”(Or maybe “Good morning, I like you!” Not trying to rush you into anything here 🙂 )
6. When you hop out of bed and brush your pearly whites, think nice things about yourself when you look in the mirror. Tell yourself you’re going to have a great day.
7. My favorite advice for happy mornings is to do a little yoga. Try adding a few minutes of your practice into your morning routine. A little love to your body will go a long way.
This becoming a morning person thing takes patience. You won’t magically turn into a morning person overnight, but then again most great things don’t happen overnight. Practice, practice, practice.
Check out my 10 Ways to Fall in Love with Monday article and my fellow Wanderlust writer, Amanda Kohr’s article 30 Morning Rituals to Bring you Joy for more morning inspiration!
Photo by Flickr user alicialcaide
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