Confession: I am 34 years old and still hate mornings as much as I did when I was a grumpy, extremely hormonal teenager. I could just never get the hang of them.
It’s not that I’m grumpy in the morning, I don’t have mugs with the slogan ‘don’t speak to me before coffee’ or anything like that. I don’t bite, I promise. I’m just... not entirely awake, either.
At this point, I’d given up, to be honest. Some people are morning people, some people prefer the serenity of the evening. We’re all built differently, right? Well, yes but, according to Dr. Michele Leno, a licensed psychologist, there are some habits that are probably making mornings feel worse for me and people like me.
The habits to drop if you want to become a morning person
Ruminating over the day before
If you often find yourself waking up and thinking over what went wrong the day before, Dr Leno says that you need to resist the urge to ruminate over it. Speaking to The New York Post, she admitted that she struggles with it and said: “This is a very, very difficult one. Whatever it might be, we consume ourselves with it.”
She advised that when these thoughts happen first thing in the morning, try to redirect them immediately.
Waking up to a loud, obnoxious alarm clock
I laughed out loud when I saw this because yes, of course! I hate mornings already, WHY would an alarm blaring into my tired ears help anything?!
Dr Leno said: “That big sound that wakes you up can cause a lot of anxiety... Figure out what’s more soothing, there’s enough things that cause us anxiety in the world.”
Well, fair!
Trying to problem-solve first thing
Whether it’s figuring out something that went wrong the night before or making plans for the evening ahead, problem-solving first thing is a recipe for disaster. Let yourself sink into the day for a short while before putting your brain to action.
Checking your phone
WELL. We all know this one and we all look at our phones and our emails anyway. I can wholeheartedly say I’ve never read something with bleary morning eyes that couldn’t have waited until I’d at least had a glass of water.
Speaking to HuffPost UK last year, UK psychologist and wellbeing specialist Lee Chambers said that when you start your day on your phone: “You are pulled into the agenda of others, consuming others’ requests, news and socials, which can make you reactive rather than creative.”
The healthy way to start your morning
According to Bupa Global Health, following these steps will help you to feel a little better about mornings:
- Wake up at the same time every day
- Open the curtains first thing to let in natural light
- Exercise first thing
- Avoid screens
- Drink water
- Keep to your routine as much as possible when travelling
Right, it’s not too late to make 2024 the year of Being A Morning Person.