As seen before on Wit & Delight
Editor’s Note: In Our Spirit March theme, Plan ahead, we’re re-sharing this post from contributor Megan McCarty on planning a better, brighter morning routine. We hope it gives you a pleasant start to tomorrow, the next day, the next day, and, well, you get it. Read on for all of Megan’s insights.
Not a morning person. Might as well include it in my obituary. I’d rather take a 10 p.m. yoga class and midnight meeting than do anything in the meantime that I’ve emphasized this for, well, used to. But it turns out work doesn’t care, the earth rotates and neither does the economy, so here we go. We must make the morning useful to us.
Instead of whining and lamenting that your morning has passed — already there — it’s time to inject positive energy into our morning time. If I, the notorious morning crank, can enter the year with positive morning vibes, so can you.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to kick-start your morning routine effectively. Got some to add? Drop us a line in the comments section below.
Dry brush your body.
While it may seem like a Goop-y trend, dry brushing has been a part of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Every morning I cleanse my sleepiness and winter skin. Nothing gets me excited after a painful alarm at an unhappy hour. While medical evidence is lacking, it is believed to help stimulates the lymphatic system, increases circulation and energy. And maybe, just maybe, it helps break down cellulite. Crossed fingers. Get the ‘trash’.
Write an expression diary.
Ours love for gratitude magazine Well documented, but after the year we’ve all had, how about showing off some magic next year? There is something for an expression journal to work. First, there’s muscle memory. Writing “I’m going to buy a house in the fall” thirty-five times actually nails your subconscious that yes, you will Buy a house in the fall.
Then there is the law of attraction, the belief that positive or negative thoughts will bring positive or negative experiences to your life. If you can put your wants and needs into words, and then repeat those words throughout the page, those thoughts are more likely to stick to all the nooks and crannies of your brain. Worth a try, right?
Suppress the alarm on your phone.
… Or any scream, alarm, um, alarm. No one wants to wake up startled. Instead, relax your mornings with gentle sunrises and soothing alarms, a much more natural way of waking up if we have nothing to do and tend to be for kids. .
New York Times evaluate the Philips alarm clock Their favorite and many others are passionate about Hatch. If you’re not ready to drop $100+ on an alarm clock when you have a perfectly fine but slightly annoying clock on your phone, consider hOmeLabs Sunrise Alarm Clocknot as complicated as the others, but the watch (get it?) is only $30.
Airplane mode is your friend.
One surefire way to turn a good morning into a bad, bad, bad, very bad day is to roll over, open your dry eyes and roll, roll, roll.
No one loves New York Times more apps than me, but even I know there’s no need to open it before 8 a.m. Same goes for email and Instagram. Do you really need to know what the Australian supermodel posted while you were sleeping? If possible, turn off your phone or stay on airplane mode until you’ve brushed your teeth and you’ve had enough caffeine to deal with that annoying request from your boss.
Drink a glass of lemonade with sea salt.
Dani Bruflodt’s Hydration Queen Thyme is honey insist on drinking a warm glass lemonade with sea salt first thing in the morning. Just a few benefits of lemon sea salt water: it can help jumpstart digestion, can kill bad bacteria in your mouth and throat, can help reduce inflammation, and can easily boost your immune system. your immune system.
At the very least, drink a glass of water before your coffee, so you can rehydrate your body before it becomes dehydrated again.
Pay attention to the little things.
There’s nothing revolutionary about making the bed every morning. But your mother was right: Make your bed and make your bed every day. Small thingssuch as making the bed, opening the curtains and putting dirty clothes in the drawer, will make you feel this more when everything else seems out of control.
Read a short story.
Instead of scrolling you-know-what Again, keep a book of short stories handy. After your morning tea or coffee (or lemonade with sea salt!), take five or ten minutes to read. It can be a story, a page or a poem. Whatever you choose, reading will ease you in the morning, giving your brain a day of creative thinking.
Send a friend a compliment every morning.
Some mornings I want to remind my friend Jess, who lives 2,000 miles away, how much I miss her. Maybe your partner needs a reminder that she’s a good mom, or your cousin could benefit from hearing that she’s inspired you. you name it, or another friend may have heard that she has the best ass in town. Sending a quick message doesn’t take long — what, 10 seconds? —But it will start your day with a good note and start their day with a good note. Mutually beneficial.
Good morning. Or at least drink more water, less stress in the morning.
Megan is a writer, editor, etc-er who muses about life, design, and travel for Domino, Lonny, Hunker and more. The rules in her life include, but are not limited to: a zipper on incorporation, cash tips, and contributions to your IRA. Be a friend and subscribe to her newsletter Night vision or follow her on Instagram.
