Having a solid morning routine can be difficult to get down, especially if you aren’t much of a morning person (like me). However, mornings are the basic layout for the rest of the day. By improving your morning routine, you’ll be able to improve your mental health and set an amazing tone for the entirety of your day. Read on to figure out the best ways to improve your morning routine.
First and foremost – MAKE. YOUR. BED. Why is such a tedious thing so important for the mornings, you may ask? Making your bed will encourage you not to jump back into it! Having the sheets pulled down for a majority of the day may give you the temptation to get in and go back to sleep. If your bed is made, you won’t want to ruin the tidiness of it, allowing you to get started with your day. Additionally, making your bed is a small yet important feat that will encourage you to continue with the rest of the day! Small wins are important wins, and making the bed will give you a great (and important) jumpstart to your day.
Plan your outfit for the next day the night beforehand! Check the weather and figure out how you want to style your clothes for the day, then lay them out somewhere in your room. Doing this will save you the extra hassle of picking out your clothes and agonizing over which combination to go with. By having your clothes already picked out, you’ll feel more motivated to get on with the rest of the day rather than feeling defeated and staying in your pajamas. Additionally, if you’re trying to start going to the gym, laying out your gym outfit the night before will add an extra boost of motivation to actually get yourself there.
I know firsthand that encouraging yourself to write everyday may be difficult, but you can always start small by just jotting down a few of your intentions for the day. What do you want to accomplish that day? How are you going to stay motivated? This can be something as simple as wanting to stay positive or even wanting to take a shower! Writing down your intentions will only take a few minutes, if not seconds, out of your morning, and it’ll help you gather your thoughts before you kick off the day.
If you neglect to drink water throughout the day, or even if you drink a healthy amount, start your day off by drinking an entire glass. Your throat is bound to get dry from sleeping all night, and water will help nourish you and moisten your mouth and throat. Drinking water first thing in the morning will also help to flush out toxins as well as boost your energy and metabolism. There’s never a downside to drinking a glass of water.
Meditation may look different for a lot of people, and there are many ways you can do this. Whether you want to go the extra mile and light some candles or simply sit in your bed and cross your legs, you can do this in whichever style fits you. Put on some relaxing music, or sit in complete silence. Close your eyes and try to empty your mind for a few minutes. Doing this will relax your brain and give you a clean slate to start your day. Try to let go of all the troubles of yesterday and start the day out with fresh thoughts. Meditation is thought to lower stress levels, improve self-awareness, and help you to live in the present.
Stretching every morning will help you wake up. After a long night of sleep, your muscles are probably tight from being in a dormant position on the bed. Think about that first morning stretch and how good it feels. Instead of leaving it at that, try to extend your stretching to other parts of your body. Even if you’re just touching your toes for a few seconds, you’ll be able to increase blood flow and wake yourself up. Making this a daily habit will also help you to increase flexibility, especially if you find yourself sitting at school or work for a majority of the day. Loosen those tight muscles and start the day out right.
If you enjoy drinking coffee, consider making your own overnight cold brew. Overnight cold brew will save you so much money in the long-run and will prevent you from making the extra trip to Starbucks in the morning. Making your own cold brew is super easy, and my personal favorite cold brew maker is this one from Amazon. Simply pour a few spoons of coffee grounds into the filter, squeeze it onto the bottom of the lid, and add water. Leave it in the fridge overnight, and now you’ve got cold brew for days!
If you’re too lazy to make breakfast in the morning, trying meal-prepping it instead. Pick a night at the beginning of the week, decide what you want to eat that week, and create enough food so that you’re good to go for the rest of the week! By meal-prepping, you’ll be saving yourself the hassle of cooking breakfast, especially if you’re already running late. You can grab your breakfast food and run out the door, ensuring that you start the day off with plenty of energy and a full stomach. Overnight oats are a great and nutritious way to meal-prep. You can add any any assortment of fruits, berries, nuts, and even chia seeds. Regardless of what you choose to make, you’ll be thanking yourself later.
Getting a good skincare routine down and sticking to it every morning will help you to feel motivated. Additionally, putting products on your skin will help you wake up! Not only will you be feeling good about yourself, but you’ll be taking care of your skin in the process. There are many skincare products out there to choose from, so browse around and find the products that will fit your skin type. Once you start making this a habit, you’ll find it easy to stick to it every morning.
It’s tempting to pick up your phone first thing in the morning and scroll through TikTok when you wake up. However, doing this will likely discourage you from getting out of the bed and getting things done. Try to stay away from the screens until you have your entire morning routine done. Even if it takes an hour or so, you’ll find that the time you spend away from the screen will help you to gather your thoughts without anything else influencing you.
Even with almost 30,000 student attending Kent State University’s main campus, you are still bound to constantly run into people…
Everybody has those nights where they just want to stay in the house instead of going out. Let’s be honest,…
The transition from high school to college can be scary. You're told that orientation is supposed to provide you with…
Hooking up in college can be one of the most confusing, yet liberating, aspects of your love life. Between your…
College is a place where one is supposed to make many lasting memories. It is the place where one often…
When you’re an incoming freshman you’ll have a variety of people telling college is about who you know and what…
