Photo Credit: Vince Alongi

Good morning, Clarity Road-ers!

Okay, so we haven’t thought of a nickname for our community yet…The Rocky Roads? Clarity Cravers? Everything we come up with sounds like we are trying to name a Thursday night netball team. Sigh!

Earlier this week we suggested making the most of your mornings as part of a tactic to combat burnout, but as you can see above, some of us at Clarity Road aren’t exactly the best at remaining focussed in the am hours. When experiencing a life changing event, it can be even harder to get going before midday…crawling out of bed is just too much to cope with some days!

This begs the question – how on earth can we actually enjoy a good start to the day? How does one become a member of that elite group of humans known as “morning people”?

This article is for our benefit as much as yours. 

Here’s how to become a morning person.

Drink a glass of water

Before you down your cup of coffee in the morning, think twice. While asleep, you have effectively been fasting, and will naturally be dehydrated. And what’s one of the worst things to throw into body when your water levels are low? Caffeine!

Now, we’re not saying that you need to cut out your morning cuppa completely (don’t be ridiculous!). Just earn it by finishing a glass of water first. By doing so you will restore your body to a state of equilibrium and give yourself some natural (and healthy) energy as well.

Eat a good breakfast

Wondering how to become a morning person while ignoring breakfast is a rookie move. If someone suggested that you skip lunch or dinner every day, you would likely scoff at them.

I can’t go eight hours without a decent meal!  And besides, lunch is food. Precious, precious food. Who would pass that up?!

Given this, a surprising number of people regularly miss out on a decent breakfast. Again, since the body has been fasting overnight, it needs to be given an energy source to function throughout the day. It’s not hard to fit breakfast into your morning routine. Pouring some milk on some cereal and slicing up a banana takes all of 90 seconds.

There’s no excuse to deprive your body of the energy it desperately needs – you’ll feel better for it!

Leave the curtains open

It’s harder to pull yourself out of bed when it’s dark as opposed to when it’s light. Why not trick yourself psychologically and leave your curtains half open overnight? This will let in some natural light, which can both ease your body into the day and give you the cue that it’s time to get motoring.

Choose your alarm carefully

This is a simple tip for how to become a morning person, but worth saying nonetheless. Don’t make your alarm tone a harsh, screaming, urgent noise. It may do the trick in terms of waking you up, but it will also leave you feeling aggravated and flustered before you have even pulled back the covers. Instead, use a softer tone that gradually increases in volume. This will ease you into the harsh reality that it’s time to leave your bed!

Sidenote: Avoid setting a song you like as your alarm tone. You will soon associate the song with waking up and will begin to hate it! Jess hasn’t been able to listen to Genie in a Bottle for years without swiping for an imaginary snooze button.

Plan ahead

If your mornings often deteriorate into a frantic whirl of activity, be strategic by preparing the night before. Pack yourself a lunch, pick out an outfit and write a to-do list for the day ahead. This will allow you to face the morning with a clearer head, and significantly cut down your stress levels!

Get those endorphins up

To really become a morning person, begin the day by doing some exercise or a fun activity. Going for a walk, hitting the gym or playing the kids in a round of Wii Tennis will pump up the good chemicals in your body and give you a natural high.

Now, exercise in the morning isn’t for everyone – Jess is protesting that whenever she has a workout before 8 in the morning she falls asleep at her desk by 2pm (perhaps not advisable). This is a common side effect in discovering how to become a morning person.

If you fall into the evening-exercisers category, get your endorphins pumping in other ways. Squeeze in a chapter of your book, pop on some music or make time to meditate. It might take some planning and motivation to incorporate this into your routine initially, but it is well worth it!

Just remember to shut the curtains if your fun activity involves dancing around to “Single Ladies” in your undies.

Do you more advice on how to become a morning person?

The Clarity Road Team