At the start of the summer, I was desperately craving some new routines to propel me into a new chapter. I wanted to create some scaffolding in my daily life that would help hold me up during a difficult time. I didn’t intend to become a morning person in the process, but that’s what happened.
I realized that if I wanted to change the way I felt throughout my day, the best place to start would be, well, at the start of it. If I could get myself into a better headspace as close to when I woke up as possible, maybe that good mood would be more resilient, and so would I.
I decided to ditch the snooze button
By waking up with just enough time to walk my dog Rooney and hop on my computer to work, I was starting my days feeling rushed and cranky; that needed to change. So, I started getting up so we would have enough time to take a more leisurely stroll and go to the dog park in the mornings.
I didn’t even need to change the time my alarm was set for — I just needed to stop pressing snooze.
When I thought about it, I realized that I’d never been glad I pressed the snooze button; I’d never thought to myself, “I’m so glad I got that extra seven minutes of sleep.” Instead, I often woke up after a snooze — or series of snoozes — feeling more groggy and disoriented than had I just stuck to the tiny promise I made myself the night before when I set the alarm and put my feet on my floor when it first went off.
Over time, both Rooney and I started to love the dog park; not only did it become part of our routine, but we both made friends. He is learning how to play with other dogs — he used to just make the rounds from person to person, enjoying getting pet — and I enjoy starting my day talking to other people, rather than staring at screens.
Courtesy of Rosemary Donahue
After the dog park, I also have the energy to exercise
I also realized that by waking up earlier and starting my day with something I actually enjoy, it’s become easier to exercise in the morning afterward. I’ve tried — and failed — plenty of times to be a morning exercise person, but it’s never the first thing I want to do when I open my eyes.
By doing something I actually look forward to first, it eases me into my day, and I’m awake enough to then get some intentional movement in when I get home. And if I still don’t feel like it, I still get on my yoga mat and do a very gentle video that basically amounts to a nap with a stretch, just so I don’t get out of the habit of doing something.
I feel more grounded since starting my new morning routine
Starting my morning like this has a few benefits. I feel less rushed and more productive by the time I sit down to work, which sets me up to feel more positive throughout the day. Overall, I feel less anxious, and I’ve been sleeping better, as well.
It also means I’ve barely looked at my phone for the first couple of hours that I’m awake; for some reason, this has translated to less mindless scrolling throughout the day. I feel more grounded, calmer, and more mindful, and though I rolled my eyes at them before, I’m now a proud member of the morning person club.
