In the midst of a dream, you hear a ringing in the distance. Suddenly, it gets louder. Confused at first, you eventually realize its your dreaded alarm, going off at what feels like the middle of the night. We can all recall a time where we wished we could feel more awake in the morning because it was difficult to wake up (or maybe not because we were so groggy), where we continued to feel sleepy as we went through our morning routine and couldn’t wait for our first cup of coffee to help us truly wake up.
With all the challenges and tasks we face daily, sleep is essential. Many of us have dedicated a lot of time to our nighttime routines and include our nightly wind-downs as part of our self-care rituals. However, we also want to feel energized once we wake up, and that isn’t always the case. Do you struggle to get out of bed in the morning? Hit the snooze button on your alarm clock repeatedly, often sleeping way later than planned? We’ve felt the same way. If you’re curious about how to feel more awake in the morning, these morning routines can help you create a ritual for yourself, leaving you energized and ready to tackle the day.
1. Wake up with the sun
Good morning sunshine. Bathing your eyes in sunlight helps support a healthy circadian rhythm, which is the internal biological clock that regulates tiredness. Making sure light can enter your room can be as easy as opening your curtains as soon as you wake up or simply getting out of bed to sit wherever the natural light lands in your home. While it may seem odd to allow light into your sleeping space, natural light helps us wake up. Rising with the sun allows us to create positive routines that are attuned to our innate bodily rhythms, so we can feel more awake in the morning. So don’t fight the light, let it in!
2. Get grounded
The transition from your cozy bed to the day ahead can be a tough one. Starting your day by grounding yourself helps you feel more prepared and capable of whatever the day demands. Step outside and plant your bare feet on the earth to harmonize your body. Spending time outdoors connects us to the earth, reminding us that we are rooted and solid. Listen to the sounds around you. Maybe its birds, morning traffic, or rain. Regardless, tune in to the world around you, engage your senses and connect to your body.
After going outside, you might also consider meditating first thing to centre yourself. Interrupting our thought patterns before our mind becomes cluttered with the tasks can help us start the day from a place of calm, rather than chaos. Here are some free meditation apps to help you get started with this practice. Incorporating a grounding ritual into your morning routine also gets you out of bed, quite literally!
3. Hydrate
When its time to wake up, start your day with some hydration. Making sure we drink enough water is an easy, but often forgotten part of our routines. Start the day off right with a glass of water. Drink a glass of lemon water so you can flush out last night’s toxins. Putting water near your bed can help make it easier for you to remember to drink it. Consider putting it just out of reach so that you have to get out of bed to get to it.
4. Nourish yourself
Feeling more awake in the morning is made much easier when we properly nourish ourselves. Make breakfast exciting! Feeding yourself with beautiful food is part of how we might practice self care. Adding a scoop of plant-based protein to your breakfast fuels your body and brain. We love to use Botanica’s Perfect Protein that comes in either Vanilla or Chocolate flavors! Whether you’re a fan of regular pancakes, chocolate pancakes, granola, smoothies, smoothie bowls, or breakfast beverages, there are lots of easy, healthy, and delicious recipes to choose from. Find your favorite and keep supporting yourself through the mornings with these tasty breakfasts.
If you’re struggling with your morning routine, staying awake late, or even have a good sleep routine but find yourself dreading getting out of bed, try incorporating these easy rituals into your mornings to feel more alert. These rituals are a practice, so go easy on yourself. If mornings are your least favorite time of day, start by including one or two of these into your morning a week and see how you feel. The more we notice how positive changes impact us, the more we feel excited to commit to those practices.
Theses are just some of the practices we use to help ourselves feel more awake in the morning. Maybe with these few changes, your mornings can become a cherished time of reflection and self-care before the busy day ahead. Good morning!
