TIPS ON BECOMING A MORNING PERSON - Sivan
01.01.16

TIPS ON BECOMING A morning person

not a morning person

I am soooo NOT a morning person. Pretty much everything pisses me off in the morning and the first things I utter out of my mouth are usually “Ughhhh I hate waking up,” “I’m so tired,” and “no.” It’s all very funny because 1) I can’t even stay awake at night so I should love waking up to do things, 2) I just slept 8+ hours sooooo, and 3) you will need to re-ask me things later on because my “no” was pretty much my nice way of saying “fuck off.” Chances are I don’t mean “no” I just don’t want to talk to you.

There are 2 factors to why I want to be a morning person. First, I am always envious of those people who wake up at 6 to get a head-start on their days. They just seem more productive. Plus, when you read all those articles about successful people they all wake up even earlier than 6. And secondly, because on the rare occasion when I am suffering from jet-lag and actually see the day around 6ish (AM), I am always pleasantly surprised how nice it is. Things are quieter, cooler, crisper. I feel like when 9:00AM rolls around I’ve conquered the world. But unfortunately I only have jet-lag once or twice a year so I don’t see those early hours too often. I can be very rational when I’m talking about it HOURS after being awake, but come 7am-ish it all happens all over again (but wait for it….) UNTIL I started doing these things.

I’ve been trying really hard to overcome this illness (I like to call it that) lately. I truly want to be able to wake up at 7:00AM without my husband announcing, “uh oh…someone is grumpy this morning!” Because, you know, that just makes me ever MORE grumpy. Sigh.

I highly doubt I’m alone in this struggle so I thought I’d share some tips that have helped me warm up to the mornings. I would love to hear any of your tips if you have any.

Drink something yummy. And refreshing. I’m not a coffee drinker. I know…weird, right? Especially being a blogger. That’s a major faux pas. I enjoy the occasional iced vanilla latte if I’m somewhere spectacular but I actually make myself an iced chai every morning. Chai has a surprising amount of caffeine and jolts my taste-buds awake. I truly look forward to my morning ritual.

Make the bed (later). I get a sense of satisfaction making my bed every morning, as I feel it sets the tone for the day. I’m getting organized, taking pride in my home, creating a clean slate almost. However, ask me to make the bed the second I wake up? Try again. Like, after I’ve had my chai. But, I am a huge believer in making your bed. If you don’t currently make yours you should try it out for one week and see if it gives you any sort of satisfaction like it does for me.

Play music. If you ever drop by my house you will be greeted first by my dogs and second by the music that hits your ears once you are inside. Luckily my husband and I are on the same page about this. Music must be playing at all times. We have countless playlists so whether we are cooking, relaxing, reading, waking up, going to bed, or working you will always hear music. And a random fact: we listen to the Garden State soundtrack every. single. night. Like we never miss a long sleep without it. Just think: 6 years of going to sleep listening to the same 10 songs and I have a lifetime of sleeps with it ahead of me. But back to the point, playing music is a great mood lifter and motivator. It gets my day started on a positive note–you know, because us morning people need help like that.

Meal prep. Breakfast is so important (as we all know) and ensuring that you have all necessities makes the whole process a lot easier. In our house my husband makes my breakfast every morning because he is a big breakfast believer like me (thank god!). We usually eat 2 eggs each plus avocado toast or hummus toast. Super easy and nutritious. I make my weekly store run and stock up on breakfast foods the most: eggs (3 dozen a week), avocado, hummus, bread, lemons…I’m happy to break down the necessities if you need a more detailed list. I know a lot of people dread making breakfast for numerous reasons, but rule out the one that involves not having anything to make because it can be a simple part of your morning that will get your metabolism working first thing in the morning.

Wake up earlier. Whaaaaaaat???? 15 minutes, I mean. Set an alarm for 15 minutes earlier to allow yourself that time to just lay, relax, wake up, and check your phone. I’m not gonna lie my 15 minutes often turns into 25-30 minutes. But as long as I have time to do this I’m a much more pleasant person to deal with.

Work out at night. I force myself to work out every Monday morning purely because of my hair washing schedule (yep, I have one and it’s serious business), but I usually have more energy to work out at night and I’m telling you it helps me sleep better. I’m obviously more tired and I feel like my body appreciates the time I’m asleep to restore and refresh by morning. This one also helps my mental health. I definitely think there is truth to the whole endorphin thing. When I’m not working out regularly I’m noticeably less happy.

So now that I’ve shared my kinda odd morning routine share yours with me!

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Photography by: Felicia Lasala // Clothing c/o: elle a. boutique