Do you wake up in the morning feeling like a Mack truck hit you and you didn’t even have the energy to get the license plate number?
I feel you. I used to be the complete opposite of a morning person, a total night owl. I would scoff at people who told me that they loved the wee hours of the morning, and thought they were absolutely insane.
Well friends, I guess I am on the insane side too now 😉 . I officially LOVE the mornings. I took Crystal Paine’s Makeover Your Mornings course this past summer and it completely changed how I view mornings and taught me that the way we approach our morning routine can make such a positive impact on our lives.
It’s been especially priceless since I have a toddler who wakes up between 7-8 am, because I now wake up around 5 am and am in such a good mood by the time she wakes up that we are pretty much guaranteed a great start to our day.
Today I wanted to share some ways to make your mornings happier that I’ve learned over the past few months. These are things that I personally try to do every morning that make such a difference in not only my mornings, but my entire day. Starting your morning off right is seriously a recipe to have a kick ass day if you ask me!
I also created a printable checklist for you containing a summary of this information, so you can use it as a reminder or reference it later on. Simply fill out the form below to grab it for free! 🙂
15 Ways to Make Your Mornings Happier:
1. Stay off social media
Don’t start your day off by letting the things you see on social media dictate your mood. It’s better to play it safe and stay off social media all together in the morning. Try saving checking your social media accounts for the afternoon, when you’ve already had a good start to your day and your attitude won’t be as influenced by others.
2. Get your butt out of bed
While pressing snooze can be super tempting on those days you are struggling to get the heck out of bed, you’re not doing yourself any favors by delaying your wake-up process by 5-10 minutes. By drifting in and out of sleep that keeps getting disrupted by your alarm going off, you’ll likely wake up feeling even more tired than if you had just gotten out of bed when your alarm initially went off.
3. Light a candle
Lighting a nice candle can be a great way to ease yourself into waking up in the morning if you aren’t a morning person. I personally love doing this, as candles always put me in a good mood!
4. Exercise
You don’t need to exercise for an entire hour to reap the benefits that exercise can bring! Even if you can only fit in a quick 5-10 minutes of jumping jacks, push ups, and squats, I can promise that you’ll feel so much better!
Getting your blood pumping early in the morning helps both your body and mind become more energized. I love the free workout videos that come with our Amazon Prime membership; there’s a lot of super quick workouts they offer that are so easy to fit into a busy schedule.
5. Stretch for a few minutes
Even if you don’t exercise in the mornings, taking just a minute or so to stretch out some of your muscles after waking up will help you to feel more limber and alert.
6. Read a chapter of a good book
If you are the middle of a great book, telling yourself you can read a bit of it when you wake up in the morning can be an awesome incentive to get yourself out of bed when your alarm goes off. Having something to look forward to in the morning is a surefire way to make the process of waking up more enjoyable.
7. Figure out your game plan for the day
If you didn’t take the time the night before to make your to-do list for the day, the morning is a great time to make sure you figure out what your priority tasks for the day are. This helps you to be more productive throughout the day and gives you a sense of purpose as you go about your day.
{for more time management tips, be sure to sign up for Simplify – the free course I’m currently offering}
8. Hydrate yourself
It’s so important to hydrate yourself first thing in the morning. We often feel drowsy and tired upon waking up because we are a bit dehydrated and need to replenish those water stores in our bodies. Try drinking a full glass of water immediately upon waking up to revive yourself a bit. I also find that keeping a large water bottle by my side during the day helps to remind me to stay hydrated throughout the rest of the day too.
9. Make your bed
I hate to sound so darn cliche, but making your bed really does set yourself up for feeling more put-together throughout the day. I know it sounds too simple to work, but sometimes this is the one thing that makes me feel like I actually have my act together on some days. Even if your day doesn’t go exactly as planned, crawling into a nicely made bed at the end of the day feels so good!
10. Eat a healthy breakfast
If you typically skip eating breakfast, stop that right now! They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason 🙂 It’s a great opportunity to start your day on a good note nutritionally and will not only make you feel better, but will give you the energy you need to power through your morning.
You don’t have to make breakfast complicated either, try making a breakfast like overnight oats the night before so that you don’t have to do any meal prep work in the morning. I’m loving this recipe for peanut butter overnight oats from the Minimalist Baker – yum!
11. Put on a positive attitude
While it can be easy to wallow in your misery if you hate mornings with a passion, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by staying in that mindset. Try to focus on the awesome things about waking up early instead, like enjoying the quiet in your house, starting your day on a peaceful note, or having the time to fit in some quick exercise or a healthy breakfast before you tackle your day. Sometimes just a change in attitude is all we need to be a little happier.
12. Eat your frog
In the book Eat that Frog!, the author discusses how tackling the hardest and most dreaded task of the day first thing enables you to enjoy the rest of your day knowing that you’ve already accomplished something big.
I believe doing this also sets you up to be motivated enough to tackle other tasks the rest of the day too. Trying “eating your frog” early in the morning and see how it makes a difference in both your productivity and overall mood throughout the day!
13. Get ready for the day, even if you’re not going anywhere
As a work-from-home Mom, I know how tempting it can be to wear pajamas all day and never put on makeup if you aren’t planning on going anywhere. But I always put on makeup and get dressed anyway (even if it’s just trading my pajamas for yoga pants), because doing this one simple thing changes my mindset for the entire day.
I feel more confident and energized when I take 10 minutes to look somewhat put together, even if it’s just to spend the whole day in my house!
14. Enjoy a hot beverage
My morning coffee is my slice of heaven here on earth. Being able to sit down, relax, and just enjoy my daily cup every morning feels like such a luxury these days.
Even if you don’t have a toddler like I do, it might turn your morning around if you take 10 minutes to enjoy some hot coffee or tea before you leave for work every day. Sometimes it’s the simple routines like this that can truly feel so indulgent!
15. Turn on your favorite music
If you’re really struggling to wake up in the morning, turning on your favorite music might be just what you need to get some energy and boost your mood! It’s hard to feel sad when you’re jamming out to your favorite song 🙂 Try listening to some music during your morning shower or while you’re making breakfast, and you might just find yourself going from feeling drained to energized instantly!
I hope that adding a few of these changes to your morning routine helps to make your mornings happier! If you’re looking for more tips to completely revamp your mornings, I highly suggest signing up for the Makeover Your Mornings course that Crystal Paine offers. I personally overhauled my daily routines entirely just as a result of completing this course and feel a lot happier and more productive by doing so!
What are your favorite ways to make your morning happier? Share with me in the comments below!
Don’t forget to grab your free printable!
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The hot beverage is key for me – as long as it’s coffee!
Haha I’m with you on the coffee Holly! 🙂
Fabulous tips, Christina!! I love the one on not hitting snooze and just getting your butt out of bed. Oh how I need to do this!! I love love love waking up and having coffee, checking my emails and getting some work done before my girls wake up. My main issue is getting them to sleep past 5:30 or 6:00 am — puts a damper on my morning routine!!
Thanks for the great tips, as always! Can’t wait to check out that printable!!
Thank you Sarah!! Haha yes, that definitely puts a damper on things when your kids don’t get the memo that Mama wants some morning time to herself!
I am such a morning person – I love these tips. Eat your frog – I like this! It’s true, I like to tackle my least favorite thing first thing in the morning. I get it done, I don’t have time to sit on dwell on it and I generally forget about it once I start doing everything else. Sometimes I look forward to going to bed because I know I have coffee waiting for me in the morning 🙂
Thanks Kristin! I so agree, I always try to tackle my biggest and most dreaded task first thing just to get it the heck out of the way and off my mind. Haha AMEN to looking forward to coffee, it’s my favorite thing about waking up 🙂
Love these tips! Just repinned as a consistent reminder for me! 🙂
Thank you Rachel, and I so appreciate you pinning!! 🙂
These are great tips! I still hate mornings, but I find if I get up, get ready right away and turn on some music I end up getting so much more done before lunch 🙂 And a cup of water before my morning cup of coffee helps too.
Absolutely!! Sometimes getting out of bed is half the battle of enjoying mornings!
Christina, this is so cool- my post from yesterday is related to this! “How to become a
Morning person”, I don’t know if you’ve read “big magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert but it totally reminds me of a Story in there. We were inspired by the same thing this week! Haha, anyways, I am totally into mornings now too and used to hate waking up early and would always press snooze! you have a ton of tips on here that are helpful, especially just getting in a little work out in the morning. Thanks for the post!!
Is it Julie?! That is awesome, great minds think alike 🙂 I will have to head on over and check it out, sounds like that post is right up my alley! I’ve also heard so many good things about Big Magic but have yet to read it myself, I need to pick that book up!! Thanks for sharing!
Yes to the hot beverage and a good chapter book! Now if I could figure out how to keep my kids from waking up as soon as my foot steps outside my room I’d be golden! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Aw Kaitlin, that’s always tough when your kids wake up early too with you. They just want to be with their Mama! hah.
These are great! I also like to spend 5 minutes in prayer/meditation before getting out of bed. It really helps me get focused on the here and now and start my day right.
That’s awesome Elise!
Is was always that odd kid that woke up at 5:00 am everyday for no reason at all. I’m just morning person by nature. My day always felt incomplete if I didn’t stretch, take my vitamins and eat breakfast.
And yes, staying away from social media in the morning can make a world of difference in your morning.
That’s so great that you’ve always been that way Terri! Although I have to admit, I hope that my kids don’t end up being natural morning people like you were growing up LOL. My mornings are my sacred time right now!
#13 resonates with me! It’s so tempting to drive the kids to school in my pajamas but I’m always afraid that the day I wear my pajamas will be the day there’s a wreck or I get pulled over. Sure enough, I witnessed a wreck last week and was glad I at least had work out clothes on! A shower would have been nice though;0)
Thank you for the awesome tips, Christina!
Haha yes Jayleen! I try to go by the rule that if I would be embarrassed answering my front door with my appearance, then I’m not “ready” for the day. I usually just put on yoga leggings and a comfy but decent looking tshirt or sweater, throw a little makeup on, and pull my hair back. Nothing fancy or time-consuming, it just makes me feel better 🙂
oh yeah im with you on the hot beverage! I think listening to some happy music helps me to get ready too when im feeling like i want to wallow before work.
Absolutely Heather! Music always does wonders for my mood too!
Love the candle and hydration ideas 🙂 I have been making a real effort to make my bed in the morning and I agree with you that I think it’s helping get my day off to a good start. I am almost 8 months pregnant and home with a toddler, so I have to admit I was getting a bit lazy in the morning especially since my toddler is not a super early riser (I’m lucky)! I have been setting my alarm clock for 645 and getting up right away and I have found such an improvement in my sleep at night and my energy during the day. Tomorrow, my day will start with a candle at breakfast!
I completely agree with you about not being a morning person – great tips. Now … putting them into practice … 🙂 The hard part!!
Wanted to say thank you! I skim through morning routine advice here and there but that was a great summary of what actually works for me, really appreciate the post 🙂
Aw thank you for taking the time to share that with me Nicole! 🙂
Dear Christina, thanks for all your sweet sweet efforts to help others making life more simple and joyful….you might already know this but just for a case I would like to send you this link with Donna Eden’s 5 minutes energy routine….Donna Eden is such a reliable person because of her ability to see energy fields, based upon that she specifically developed this 5 minutes routine to start your day to get all of your enegeries flowing, balanced and in harmony…may this add something special to your life, sincerely Manuela
Dear Christina, I was sending you from Donna Eden 5 minutes engery routine just before what I feel that this link is even brighter and the actual official link that Donna Eden created
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di5Ua44iuXc
Sincerely, Manuela
Getting ready for the day regardless of if I’m going anywhere is my key to productivity. You’re right about making the bed too. Coffee goes without saying. 🙂 Great post. I hope to one day wake up before my toddler.
Putting on a Positive Attitude seems to be the most difficult for me to achieve…or rather, to keep for theduration of the day. I really absorbed your entire blog but this topic hit me hard. Sometimes, with all the stresses of ranch life and caring for not only the family, but our family of animals as well can take me out of my “mojo” (positive attitude). Your ideas have really helped me put perspective to my daily (and hectic at times) life. Im going to work SO MUCH HARDER putting on my positive attitude everyday and first thing each morning…but keeping it throughout the day as well. I truly LOVE & ENJOY reading your blogs. I learn more each day I sit back for a moment of “me time” to read your wonderful articles that really mean a lot to my everyday life.
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The morning routine and coffee I’m drinking here on Earth is like my little piece of paradise. My morning routine is drinking coffee while sitting and enjoying the quiet. It’s a great way to start the day. THC free CBD oil
Thanks for your post. Every day I start my day with exercises and delicious coffee. It definitely lifts my work spirit for the day. I like the book idea too, but my problem is that I can just get carried away with the book and just forget about the time. cbd cream 1000mg And then the morning will be restless for me. But in any case, the book is always excellent.