You know you have to go to work, you know lying in bed for longer won’t help you in the long run and you know that you struggle with this every morning but still you find yourself oh-so-cosy, so snug, so desperate to stay under the covers.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. According to YouGov, four in ten Brits find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and who can blame us? Bed is just so, so cosy. So warm. So lovely. So safe.
Anyway.
Emilie Leyes, a hypnosis and brain training specialist on TikTok has shared her secret to winning that waking up battle and other tips that help her get through the day that don’t actually take any extra time.
How to get out of bed in the morning
So, to get out of bed, Leyes follows Mel Robbins’ 5 second rule and when applied to first thing in the morning, it means that when your alarm goes off, instead of pressing the snooze button you count down from 5.
Once you get to ‘1’, you sit up and you start your day. Leyes said that after doing this for a couple of days, she became much more of a morning person.
According to Robbins, this rule is, “the secret to changing anything about your life”.
She adds that you can use this countdown method to, “break any bad habit, interrupt self-doubt and negative self-talk, and push yourself to take the actions that will change your life.”
Whew.
The simple self-care tips that take ‘no extra time’ from your day
Leyes shared other simple tips that have helped her wellbeing and take no extra time in her day.
Laughter yoga
Leyes shared that while she’s getting ready in the morning, she’ll do some ‘laughter yoga’. This practice is based on the belief that voluntary laughter is as effective as spontaneous laughter and while researchers are torn on the effectiveness of this, Leyes says that once the ‘fake’ laughter turns real, it can be a huge mood boost. Plus, other research has indicated that it is good for physical and mental health. Worth a try!
Notice the small, good things as they happen
Speaking about extremely mundane tasks such as doing the dishes, Leyes encourages us to find the good in those moments. For example, while doing the dishes, you could set the water temperature to one you particularly enjoy and use that moment to make the most of how the water feels on your skin and focus on that instead of the fact that you’re doing a chore.
Mindful breathing, as and when you can
While the hypnotist acknowledges that we don’t all have time for meditation, she recommends trying mindful breathing as and when you can. She recommends saying to yourself something along the lines of deciding that for three breaths, you’re going to pay attention to what it feels like to breathe.
Leyes said her go-to is called the physiological sigh which involves taking a deep breath, catching another quick breath and then exhaling.
The physiological sigh is proven to reduce blood pressure, digestive distress, and racing thoughts.
Let yourself daydream
Leyes recommends daydreaming about everything that went right for you, all the things in your past that were good, reminisce on happy memories as though they’re happening right now. Nostalgia can be very good for your wellbeing and general outlook on life.
Brb, off to put my head in the clouds for a while.