The body may physically be awake in the morning, but your mind might still be in low-power mode. That’s why it’s easy to forget what you actually did this morning before you got out of the house. We’re still groggy, tired, sleepy and not able to function properly as we’re getting out of bed and eating breakfast. You might even be so well used to functioning on such a decreased mental wavelength, that mornings just become another routine. But do you know what that spells? Wasted time and experiences. Mornings shouldn’t be a part of the day that you can’t wait to get over and head into the ‘real’ part of the day. They should be enjoyed, not just for the sake of your mental health but for your general life. How on earth are you supposed to do that if you’re unable to shake off the cobwebs and become wide awake? Good question and the answer is, you can’t. So here’s how to truly wake up in the morning.
Out of reach
Putting your alarm clock right next to you is the norm. Yet, it’s so easy to set your phone or actual alarm clock to snooze or even dismiss. Admit it, you’ve often just slapped at the clock, to get it to shut up and stop making noise without any intention of getting up? We’ve all been there. But if you put your alarm clock a little out of reach, just enough so that you have to physically get up to shut it off, your chances of not oversleeping dramatically increase. It’s so simple yet we don’t think of doing it because deep down, we know we would like to have the ability to shut it off and go back to Narnia. So, if you truly want to start getting up in the morning consistently at the right time, put your alarm clock a little further out of reach so there’s no other way to turn it off, other than getting out of bed.
A bittersweet friend
You might think that a hot shower is something that everybody has in the morning, but you’d be wrong to make this assumption. Some people, actually have cool to cold showers just to wake themselves up. For one thing, it will certainly wake your senses up as going from a warm bed to suddenly a cold shower, is going to suddenly increase your heart rate, alertness, and cognitive awareness. The cold stream of water is a bittersweet friend. You need it to wake you up but it’s very discomforting early in the morning. That’s why you should gradually ease into it. Start off with lukewarm water instead of hot and work your courage up to a quick cool or cold shower.
Before breakfast
It’s common to go downstairs after your shower and get a bite of breakfast. However, you should get dressed for work or your day, as soon as you come out of the shower. When we put a comfortable bathrobe, we tend to slip back into a relaxed and slow mindset. The whole point of truly waking up is doing things that are slightly uncomfortable in order to shock your system into full attentive alertness.
Before, during or after?
Breakfast is not and never should be a routine chore. You shouldn’t be shoving anything in your mouth and running out the door. It should be an enjoyable experience and a meal that you don’t skimp out on, in terms of quality. Now, you’re probably thinking when should you drink coffee? For many people, it’s at breakfast, not at lunch. You should have a cup of coffee at breakfast, while you slowly wake up and start to think about what you’ll be doing during the day. Many people say that they have coffee before breakfast i.e. eating something. They like caffeine to be the first thing into their system, giving them that bolt of lightning to turbo-charge everything else. However, others say that hitting your empty stomach with hot coffee has the opposite effect and actually, puts you off your appetite. Either way, it must be included in your morning routine. Avoid caffeine at lunch so you’re not weakening the effect it has on you, so it works it’s magic in the morning every time.
Every single wake up routine that you’ve ever known, has to be done away with. Put your alarm clock far out of reach so you are forced to get out of bed to shut it off. Then, take a cool or cold shower, followed by formally dressing for work. Only then can you decide whether you want your coffee before, during or after breakfast that morning.