Do you often find yourself waking up with no sense of direction and feeling overwhelmed by the day ahead? Or your body feeling on edge? If the answer is yes, then you may want to think of making changes to your morning routine. How we start the day sets the tone for the rest of the day. So having a healthy morning routine can reduce anxiety and set you up for a happy, healthy, and productive day. Let’s take a look at how we can decrease the symptoms of anxiety and take control of our mornings.
Start your Morning the Night Before
Things go a lot smoother when you have a plan. Before you go to bed, plan out your day so that you can mentally prepare. As well as, plan out what you’re going to wear and lay it out. Don’t forget to go to bed at a reasonable time so that you get plenty of sleep. Too little sleep can set you up for a grouchy sluggish morning.
Keep a Consistent Wake-up time
We all have internal clocks or circadian rhythms. Which regulates certain biological functions over periods of 24 hours. It also plays a role in things like appetite, cell regeneration, and hormone productions. By waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Your circadian rhythm can function properly, which means you’ll feel better and sleep better. So try and wake up within an hour of the same time and avoid hitting that snooze button.
Don’t Check your Phone
I know it’s tempting to reach for your phone first thing in the morning. But things like social media, emails, and text messages can start draining your energy and focus before you even step out of bed. Give your self anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes before you start checking your phone.
Get Moving
Hitting the gym first thing in the morning or going for a walk around the block is a great way to start the day. But, if you can’t fit a full workout into your mornings, don’t worry about it. Take a few minutes to stretch out your muscles and wake up your body so that you start the day feeling more alert.
Drink a glass of water and eat well-balanced Breakfast
Having a glass of water and a healthy breakfast is beneficial for your body and mind. The glass of water will hydrate you and fire up your metabolism. While having a healthy breakfast will give you the energy needed to take on the day.
Practice Gratitude
Starting the day with a positive attitude is a great way to set yourself up for success. While you’re eating breakfast, taking a shower, or brushing your teeth, think of three things that you’re grateful for in your life. This will put you in a good mindset to handle those stressors that life throws at us throughout the day.
Give Yourself Time for your Commute
There’s nothing worse than being late, rushing out the door, and hitting traffic. You don’t want to start your day with stress, so give yourself plenty of time for your commute. Try to leave at least 15 minutes early. That way, you have plenty of time and won’t have to speed or make unsafe driving decisions. You’ll also avoid arriving at your destination stressed, irritated, or completely exhausted.
Adopting these habits into your morning routine will not only increase your focus and energy but lower anxiety and stress. You don’t have to adopt them all. Choose the ones that you’d find helpful and incorporate them into your morning routine. Then enjoy how much better you’ll feel not only in the morning but throughout the day.
How you end your day is equally as important as to how you start your day. So if you are looking to develop a healthy evening routine to ease sleep anxiety, then check out Kyra’s post How to Manage your Sleep Anxiety with an Evening Routine.
Related post: 7 Simple Ways to Reduce the Symptoms of Anxiety
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I always check my phone in the morning and that seriously does take up so much time haha! When I used to commute far for school & work, I always tried to wake up extra early because I know there’s always traffic. Thanks for the tips!
Me too, and it’s a habit I’m trying to break. So I’ve been putting my phone in my nightstand drawer. That way it’s out of reach and I’m less tempted to check it. Traffic will get you if you’re not prepared, especially if you live in a big city. Thanks for stopping by Geraldine.
I totally agree that waking up early leaves time to prepare for my commute to work. Usually, as part of planning my next day, if I’m going to work, I always check the bus times. This helps a lot to relieve anxiety.
That’s a great habit to have. I usually check the traffic reports before, so I know what areas to avoid.
I love these tips! I seriously feel so much better about my day when I have completed some of these tasks!!
Thank you, and me too.
Three things I do off your list: show appreciation and declare my day to be great, drink a glass of water and seriously AVOID checking my phone. I find that whenever I check my phone before I’ve checked and taken care of myself, my energy is gone and I’m way less productive. I always end up scrolling carelessly for like two hours on social media when that could’ve been to.ereading or blogging. Now, I keep my phone on the other side of the room until I’m mentally ready😁 These are lovely tips Angela!
Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com
That’s great. Phones and social media can put a damper on your day and hinder productivity too. Keeping off to the side until your ready is the way to go to ensure you have a great day. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for this post. I have a good morning routine, I’ve had the same one for 20 years lol. First off, I don’t suffer from anxiety, perhaps because I have my morning routine planned LOL. Secondly, I can not for the life of me workout in the morning. I have tried so many times and it just doesn’t work for me. Thirdly, I do check my phone right away. I have an 18 yo daughter away working on a riverboat cruise, checking to see if I heard from her is my first thing. But my bible app is on my phone and as a blogger, I use the mornings to catch up on any notifications, etc. But you are right, I’m sure it’s not the healthiest thing to do.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you, it seems like you have things all figured out for your morning routine. Checking your phone after you wake up isn’t entirely bad, but it can be a problem for some. It really depends on what you’re checking, and if it’ll have a negative effect on your mental state.
I am a firm believer of pre planning the light before, if I don’t totally freaks me out, which sets me up for a bad day.
Me too, I like to have a plan. It helps to have an idea of what you’re doing before you do it.
This is a wonderful post that I’m already NOT following this morning . I’m really great at timing my commute, but everything else…I’m terrible at. I’m trying to be better about being ready for my morning, and pacing myself so I have time for everything. So far, not so good. I love the idea of adding gratitude to your morning routine. I’m trying to practice more active gratitude in my life, but I never thought of doing so during my morning routine. Great idea! Thanks!
Thanks for reading! Some morning are a hit or miss with me too. I get sidetracked a lot, so sometimes I find myself rushing because I got caught up in something. Gratitude in the morning really helps set the tone for the day. I enjoy doing it before I walk out the door for work.
I do all these things before a running race. It really helps with pre-race jitters. I should try to do this in my everyday life too. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for stopping by, doing these things does have a major impact on your overall mood for the day.
great read!
Thank you!
I love all of these! I just started gratitude journaling every morning and it’s made a huge difference in my mental health.
That’s great! A little positivity in the morning can go a long way.
I really need to work on not touching my phone the first thing in the morning when I get up. I need to work on that and actually going to bed at a decent time because my sleep schedule is nonexistent. Great tips!
That’s a hard habit to break because after you wake up you want to see what you missed while you were asleep. My sleeping schedule has been off for the past few weeks, but I think it has something to do with being quarantined. Thanks for stopping by.