Getting your day off to a good start can help you maintain good energy levels and stay more focused all day long. A frantic morning isn’t the right way to ring in a new day. Likewise, instantly immersing yourself in everything that you need to get done may afford you adequate time for some fundamental self-care practices. Making your well-being your main priority in the morning can help you get your day underway positively and productively.
1. Sit Up When Your Alarm Sounds
Try to get up and out of bed when your alarm wakes you up. Going back to bed for a few minutes doesn’t really help you rise feeling more refreshed. In fact, Hitting the snooze button can confuse your brain and make it much harder for you to transition from your sleep state to a waking state.
When you hear your alarm, sit up, stretch your arms up, and then get your feet on the floor. After a while, it will become habitual. When you’re just getting into this new custom, you may find it helpful to put your alarm somewhere that you have to get up to reach it.
2. Drink Water
Much like breaking your nighttime fast with breakfast, rehydrating after a full night’s rest is going to benefit virtually every system in your body. Instead of drinking only coffee or juice in the morning, be sure you’re having plenty of water. Drink a couple of glasses of water within the first hour that you’re awake to replenish your reserves.
3. Nourish Your Skin
Rehydrating your skin is a key element of good self-care in the morning. Tossing and turning can make skin look dry or dull because you’re losing some of your skin’s natural oils on your bedding. At the start of your day, use skincare products that will thoroughly cleanse your skin and also hydrate it. Avoid using products that contain a lot of harsh chemicals because they could cause inflammation or exacerbate dryness. When you read product labels, look for products that are non-comedogenic.
Healthy looking skin can be a big confidence booster when you go about your day. Also, fortifying your skin with moisture can help to protect it in cold or dry environments.
On mornings when you plan to be spending any considerable length of time in the sun, be sure to make sunscreen part of your skincare routine. It will shield you from UV rays that can dry out or damage skin. Remember that it may be necessary to reapply sunscreen throughout the day in order to stay protected.
4. Move Around
Shortly after getting up, a moderate amount of physical exercise can kick your energy levels into gear. It also works kind of like a shortcut for restoring your coordination, which may feel a little out of sync after you’ve been immobile to get sleep.
You don’t need to get up super early and go to the gym to get some worthwhile exercise into the first hour of your day. Start with some simple stretches to loosen up ligaments and distribute oxygen throughout your extremities. Then, move on to a few exercises using your own bodyweight to build strength and tone muscles.
5. Meditate
A few minutes of meditation before you leave the house is an excellent tactic to proactively mitigate stress. Meditative techniques can make you calmer while also making you more perceptive. Meditation geared towards promoting mindfulness makes you more focused on the present rather than reflecting on the past or fretting about the future. When you’re thinking mindfully and clearly, you’ll feel more competent to deal with potential stressors that come up during the day.
Doing things that are good for you will make your mornings more enjoyable. Every small act that helps you manage a morning better gives you a sense of being in control. Ultimately, taking good care of yourself is a positive and empowering way to take on every day.
