Myisha Nawar
Mornings are rough, especially if you are not the type of person who jumps out of bed ready to take on the day. While a good cup of coffee or tea is a great start to the morning, there is more to the picture:
1. Get a healthy amount of quality sleep. Half the reason mornings suck is because we’d rather be sleeping. While natural circadian rhythms certainly impact how energetic you feel in the morning, getting to bed earlier and instituting an enjoyable morning routine may make mornings a little more palatable.
2. Resist the urge to let your email or social media own you. When you dive straight into emails, texts and social media, you lose focus and your morning succumbs to the wants and needs of other people.
3. Meditation, prayer, yoga, quiet time–these are all great practices that can get your day off to the right start. Spending 15 to 30 minutes in quiet–whether that’s doing structured meditation, or simply sitting silently with a cup of coffee contemplating the day–can broaden your perspective and give you a calmer, more proactive outlook on the day.
4. Exercise. Getting your body going floods your system with dopamine, increases your confidence, and makes you work more productively.
5. Eat a healthy breakfast. A healthy breakfast gives you energy, improves your short-term memory, and helps you to concentrate more intensely and for longer periods.
Don’t discount the importance of a productive morning routine. Getting off to a good start can mean the difference between an energetic, proactive start and dragging your feet into the day.