Kathy Hamilton For some people being a morning person comes easily. But for others (like me) it’s something we have to work a little hard at. If you’re the same then welcome to the handy guide to being a morning person for people who hate mornings. Because we can’t all be morning people, but we can still start the day on a positive note.
I recently started trying to get more from my mornings. For as long as I can remember I have found it hard to wake up early in the morning and jump into the day. I wrote about my journey here. I learned a lot about being a morning person, but most importantly I found a routine that works well for me. I’m excited to share that with you today, so let’s get started:
Prepare the night before
If you’re like me and you really struggle to get going in the morning then this is the most important tip in the list. It sounds simple enough to be obvious, but then sometimes the best things are staring us right in the face all along.
In the evening, before you go to bed, take a few minutes to prepare for the next day. For example, I love a cup of tea in the morning but I found I never had time to make one. So now, I like to make a cup of tea in my thermos cup (which stays warm for 8 hours). This means I can wake up and sip a glorious cup of tea before I even have to get out of bed. Bliss!
Prep other things like:
- your outfit
- bag
- lunch/breakfast (this website has some great ideas)
- write a to-do list for the next day
This means you can get up and go without feeling like you’re rushed. The perfect solution for people who hate mornings!
Decide what time you have to wake up by
The internet is full of excellent advice on being a morning person. And one of the recurring bits of advice is how to wake up early and LOVE IT! But for people who hate mornings, this is often too much of a stretch! I can appreciate that waking up at 5.30 means I have extra time for things I love, but one of the things I love is to sleep more! Am I right?!
Waking up super early just isn’t a realistic thing for me and I’m pretty sure if you’re reading this you’re in the same boat! And that’s fine. This post is all about finding ways to make your mornings work for you, in the best possible way.
Since acknowledging that sleep ranks pretty highly in my dream morning routine I have been able to adjust my morning person routine to fit. In real terms, this meant deciding that 7.00 is the time I have to wake up by. It’s the sweet spot between that little extra snooze and getting out the door on time. Any later than this and I have to rush a little, any earlier and I can give myself a little pat on the back.
*note* it might also be a good idea to decide what time you have to go to sleep. Websites like sleepyti.me can help you work out the best time based on when you have to get up.
Ease into the day gently
Which brings me to my next point. I think a lot of the talk around morning routines centres on getting up and immediately jumping into the day. Go, go, go. I tried doing this for a while because it felt like what I should be doing in order to be productive. But guess what? It just led to me getting stressed and ill, something I spoke about in more depth here.
Does this sound familiar? Yes? Well, I have a little nugget of truth for you. Being a morning person doesn’t mean you have to jump out of bed, run 20 miles, and write a novel all before breakfast! Easing into the day gently can allow you space and time you need to wake up properly.
I mentioned my cup of tea further up. Well, taking ten minutes to sip this slowly while still wrapped up in bed has had one of the biggest impacts on my morning mood. It helps me get ready to face the day with a positive outlook and I get to work ready to be productive. Life changing!
Other ideas for easing into the day gently:
- Drink a glass of water first thing
- Plan enough time to have a long shower
- Give yourself ten minutes to sit in bed before you get out
- Read a chapter of a good book
Have a hot drink
Ok, ok. By this point, you’re probably like ‘ok crazy tea girl we get it’. But I truly do believe that having a warm drink when you wake up is vital to being a morning person when you’re someone who hates mornings. Now obviously, my drink of choice is a warm, sugary cup of English Breakfast Tea but anything warm will do. When I know I need an extra treat I always have a hot chocolate, for example.
Make a little ritual out of it. Buy a pretty mug, treat yourself to some indulgent hot chocolate or fancy tea and start the day with something warm. This point sort of ties into my previous one, you can’t rush a hot drink so starting your day with one can help you ease in gently and take a moment of calm before the rest of the day begins.
*note* It might seem brewing up a hot cup of coffee is perfect. However, there’s some research that suggests drinking coffee first thing actually stunts your cortisol levels (they help you feel awake/balance stress). So, if you feel sluggish in the morning, maybe give your cortisol a chance to balance itself out before sipping on that sweet caffeine drenched coffee!
Give it time and reassess what’s working
Ultimately, being a morning person is always going to mean different things to different people. You may find that after a while, you stop hating mornings and realise that you can start to incorporate other things into your routine, like a workout or morning journaling. That’s great! However, the point I want to stress is that you should give it time and then take another look at what’s working.
Be easy on yourself if you can’t kick into this brand new habit right away. The point of developing any kind of morning routine is to start the day in a happiness boosting way. So, don’t be too strict on yourself, enjoy the process of being a morning person. The best routine is the one that works for you. Good luck!
What does your morning routine look like? Do you have any other tips on being a morning person that might help?
As always, I’d love to hear your ideas. This is something I am working on myself, so I love to add new things in that might help me break the ‘I hate morning’ cycle!
