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becoming a morning person

this post is about falling in love with mornings

now, i know what you're thinking... i couldn't be a morning person if i tried, i always wake up tired, i never want to get out of bed in the morning, etc.

today i am going to challenge you to step away from this mindset for a few moments. i am going to tell you about how i learned to fall in love with my mornings, and hopefully it will inspire you to consider it too. 

i was not always a morning person, throughout my childhood i was not an early-riser, and i felt groggy, sleepy-eyed and often anxious when i heard my alarm buzzing. over the past two years or so, i have learned the value in the morning hours and the peace of mind it brings me to have extra time for myself each day before venturing out into the external world. 

i will also shares my tips about how to increase your productivity in the morning, maintain a healthy sleep schedule (by making it a priority), prep yourself for the morning the night before, awaken your body and senses for the day ahead, and much more. 

tip 1: maintain a regular sleeping schedule

while this may seem obvious to some or even impossible to many, i believe that all lifestyle and behavioral changes (whether positive or negative) stem from your everyday habits. 

whether you currently consider yourself a morning bird or a night owl, i believe in the power of consistency in your rest cycle. this involves going to bed at roughly the same time each night and waking up around the same time each morning. 

this may take some time, as everyone has a different sleeping schedule. some people struggle to fall asleep at night, some have difficulties waking up in the morning, etc. i find that on particularly stressful or eventful days, i have a hard time shutting down my thoughts and finding solace. on these nights, i will sometimes complete a meditation practice, or read a book until my eyelids become heavy. i also find that prepping myself for the next day the night before helps me feel peaceful before bed and i can doze off rather easily (more to come about prepping later). 

tip: a good way to track your sleep is through sleep tracking apps or activity trackers that record your sleep patterns (fitbits, apple watches, etc.). 

personally, i like to wind down at night for a few hours and then get into bed by 10pm. i am guilty of laying awake watching shows on netflix or videos on youtube before bed, and though i don't support staring at a screen before sleep, do whatever helps you wind down after a long day and puts your mind at rest. i usually find myself asleep before 11pm, and i like to wake up around 7am. 

while the hours of 7-9am may not seem early at all for some, as a college student i typically don't have classes until 10 or 11am, so i get the bulk of my personal productivity done during this time whereas a lot of my college counterparts sleep in as long as possible before rushing off to class.

another pro-tip to combat sleeping troubles is to make your bed a space solely for sleep by training your body to associate getting into bed as a sleep cue. by doing other tasks in your bed like homework or eating, your bed becomes a home for many activities aside from sleeping, and this can sometimes be a subconscious barrier to falling asleep at night. 

tip 2: make the morning "yours" 

now that you are considering waking up potentially earlier than you're used to, how can you productively spend this extra time in your day?

i like to make my mornings into my "me time," to set my day off on the right foot and take the time for myself each morning to de-stress and prepare for the day ahead. 

my typical morning routine goes like this:

1. wake up via alarm around 7am, get straight out of bed and do not hit the snooze button or linger in bed for more than 2 minutes. 

2. the typical things - bathroom, brush my teeth, wash my face, turn on my espresso machine... 

3. at this point, i will either throw on my workout clothes and hit the gym

or

get dressed for classes, do a little bit of makeup, and fix my hair up. make myself feel like a human and feel my best and most confident. 

4. breakfast and coffee! (see tip 4)

5. with my leftover time (usually about an hour), i will pick things up around my apartment to make a cleaner space for myself, catch up on any emails/social media, and do my meditation practice for the day. 

having this ritual every day prepares me for whatever the day brings me, and all of these little tasks are finished before i've even left the apartment for the day!  

tip 3: prep for the morning the night before 

i have a few quick and easy tasks that i do every night before bed to make my life easier the next morning. these include

a. prepping my breakfast (this would include meal ideas like overnight oats or chopping veggies for a tofu scramble) - i often make variations of toast in the morning, in which case, i don't have to prep anything the night before. 

b. picking out my outfit the night before - this is a big one. i've been doing this since high school, and seriously, it makes the morning so much less stressful to have my clothes out and ready when i wake up in the morning. it takes just a few moments to check the weather for the next day and plan out my outfit. somehow, it takes significantly less time than if i try to do it in the morning and i scramble to find any options. 

c. setting out anything else that i will need and making sure my room and space is clean for the morning. clear atmosphere, clear mind

tip 4: breakfast! 

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my favorite part of the morning and sometimes of my entire day is breakfast. i am a sucker for breakfast foods, and whether i'm craving sweet, salty, savory, or a combination, i have loads of tasty and healthy breakfast concoctions up my sleeve. 

if i've learned anything, it's to never skip breakfast. i've trained my body to pretty much wake up hungry at this point, and i have found that there is a lot of value in packing in some nutrients first thing in the morning. for me, my first meal sets the tone for my eating the rest of my day, so when i start off with fruits or vegetables and hearty whole grains, i typically eat well the rest of the day. 

some of my favorite breakfast meals include:

+ tofu scramble with loads of veggies and breakfast potatoes

+ toast loaded with toppings: some of my favorites are avocado (duh, just mashed ripe avocado, trader joe's "everything but the bagel" seasoning, lemon juice, arugula), peanut butter banana (with cinnamon, cacao nibs, and agave nectar drizzle), and hummus and veggies (red pepper, cucumber, spinach/arugula) 

+ overnight oats (rolled oats and chia seeds soaked in nondairy milk, topped with frozen berries, nut butter, and agave nectar)

and of course... coffee! i could make an entire post about coffee (and likely will if anyone would find that interesting), but i start every day off with espresso.

lately, i have been enjoying a double shot of espresso, which i serve over ice with a bit of water (my makeshift americano), a bit of Silk brand almond milk vanilla creamer (to die for, my absolute favorite nondairy creamer), and a sprinkle of cardamom spice. 

tip 5: get moving! 

i cannot stress enough how much better my body feels when i get my body moving and loosened up in the morning before i start off my day. 

as i stated in my morning routine section, some mornings i go to my university gym at about 8am - every tuesday and thursday, and on the weekend mornings if i have the time. i love hitting the gym at this time, often with a friend or two, because i feel significantly more productive during the day if i've gotten a good sweat in. plus, the gym is considerably less crowded when i go early than if i tried to go mid-day or evening. 

i also recommend getting outside in the morning if possible, whether that means enjoying your breakfast or coffee on the porch, walking the dog, or just taking a short stroll nearby, i think the fresh morning air can do wonders for your mood and energy level. 

not everyone enjoys working out in the morning, others prefer the late afternoon or evening, and that is fine! however, i do suggest at least some light stretching every morning to get your muscles and joints loosened up for the day ahead. if i do not go to the gym, i try to do a short morning yoga practice or a few light and simple stretches before my short 10 meditation each day. 

to me, the idea of getting myself moving each morning does not solely mean physically, but also mentally and spiritually. this is where my meditation comes in. a mindfulness technique each morning kicks off your mental and spiritual energy and sets a tone for the day. clearing my mind with a simple meditation practice keeps me grounded and i feel more emotionally sound for the rest of the day.

if you've never ventured into meditation, i would sincerely recommend trying it! i prefer guided meditation, using various podcasts or meditation apps (my favorite podcast is called "live awake" - find it on the apple podcast app). 

place value in your morning ritual 

find peace in making the morning your "me time," and place value in it. 

while sometimes it is easier to set your alarm 30 minutes before you have to leave the house, just think about the extra time in your day you could be using. i prefer relaxing and kicking back once i get home from a long day, and having my chores and tasks already finished first thing in the morning allows me to do just that. 

i find that i am at my most productive in the morning. while this does not ring true for everyone, saying "i'm not a morning person" will only hold you back from making changes in your habits. if you say it and believe it, then it will remain true.

i believe in the power of habit. making change is all about consistency, and breaking an old habit or starting a new one takes a lot less time than many believe. eventually, waking up early can become second nature to you, the way it has for me. 

i hope some of these tips have sparked a little inspiration. some ideas may seem obvious, some may seem far-fetched, but they are all certainly do-able. 

learn to fall in love with mornings. let the quiet and the early sun wake you up slowly. spend time with yourself. make the morning yours