Stretch
As soon as you wake up, stretch out your arms, legs, and neck to get the blood circulating through your body. It seems too simple to have much effect on your mood, but you’ll be surprised to find how much more alert and active you’ll feel before even getting out of bed.
Natural Light
Before you go to sleep at night, crack open the curtains or blinds slightly in your bedroom to let the sunlight in the morning. Any and all-natural light that hits you in the morning can have a positive effect on your disposition. This may not be very beneficial for you during the shortened days of winter or if you work a job where you are required to wake hours before daybreak. However, if you have the opportunity to rise with the help of the morning light, do your best to make that happen.
Wake the Nerves
If you are a person who has to take a shower to wake up in the morning, consider opting for a cold one. As unappealing as this sounds, it will cut down on your time in the shower and will make you feel less rushed in the morning. Even more importantly, it will kickstart your nerves instantaneously. Even if you just turn off the hot water to let the cold water hit you for a few seconds at the end of your typical shower, you will notice a distinct change in your alertness.
Healthy Breakfast
Far too many of us are in the habit of running out the door in the morning with a sugar-filled, unhealthy snack in hand or, even worse, nothing at all. None of us wants to admit the effect this has on our dispositions, and we shrug it off by saying we’re too busy in the morning to eat. Change this bad habit and notice the difference immediately. Take 10 minutes every morning to have a healthy breakfast of grains (cereal, porridge or oatmeal), fruit, water, and juice to get you off on the right foot. Your body and mind will thank you.
Practice Gratitude
It’s really important to realise how much you actually have and how much you are capable of. Conscious gratitude should start from the moment you wake up in the morning, and should include family, friends, pets, the gadgets that make your life so much easier such as your phone, ketchup, computer and toaster and the fact you can laugh and live. Set aside five minutes each morning before getting up to be thankful for all you have.
Minimize Decision-Making
Save time and reduce your morning grouchiness by minimizing the list of decisions you have to make when you wake up. Pick out your clothes, pack your lunch and set out your breakfast before you go to bed at night. You can also make a to do list of all the things you want to get done in the day ahead. Prioritise each item and then tick them off as you achieve them. A little planning will go a long way in streamlining and de-stressing your morning routine.
Hydrate
That whole time you were sleeping, whether a dreadful three hours or a refreshing eight hours, you were fasting and your body was dehydrating. Water is the truest life-saver in our everyday lives, and it has just as great an effect on your disposition. Drink a pint or at least a full glass of water within minutes of waking up, and you will notice a change in your mood for the better now that your body is hydrated.
Get Moving
If you aren’t already, get in the habit of working some physical activity into your day before you get fully engrossed in whatever is on the agenda. Whether you go for a jog, a walk, or just do some callisthenics by the bed, the exercise will pay off tenfold as your morning draws on.
