Waking up every morning is a burden. Actually, getting out of bed even more so. If you are absolutely not a morning person but have to live or work with people who are, you probably find them utterly insufferable (newsflash – they find your grumpiness just as irritating).
But your hatred of life at 8 AM could be having a terrible impact on your health as well as friendships.
So what can you do to feel more human first thing in the morning? Here’s a few tips.
When your alarm goes off, actually get up. There’s not much point in waking up at 6 AM if you spend the next hour and a half scrolling Instagram, or dozing off because let’s face it, your bed is waaaay too warm and comfy. One way of overcoming this hurdle is to leave your phone out of reach – it’ll force you to hustle to make that dreadful alarm stop hurting your brain!
Make the morning fun, because starting the day in a satisfying way is guaranteed to change your attitude STAT. If you’re motivated by productivity, try getting some housework done – throw on a load of washing for a win. Maybe you’re struggling to get enough time in the evenings to watch the new episode of your favourite show, so why not watch in the morning instead? Can I have a hallelujah for the streaming era?!
While you’re reclining with a good drama, enjoy your breakfast. Morning people are less likely to forego the most important meal of the day in favour of making it to work on time, and you’re going to need that energy if you want to make it through the 3 PM demon hour.
And what could possibly be a better brekkie option to make the morning a fun time than Nutella on toast? That s delicious choc-hazelnut taste is basically happiness in a jar. A serotonin hit like that will go a long way to converting to morning person-hood forever.
Have less coffee first thing in the morning. One cup is fine if that’s your vice, but after that you’ll find your initial perkiness crashing and burning by midday. Your cortisol (basically the wakefulness hormone) levels are highest in the morning, so if you hold off a bit longer, you can work with your body’s natural rhythms to maximise your own human energy supply.
Of course, the most crucial part of the night owl to morning person conversion process is to make early rising a habit – that means commitment y’all! It takes at least a couple of months to make (or break) a habit. If you’re really struggling, it might help to try the build-up approach – get up 5 mins earlier each day til you hit your target time.
