If you are not a morning person, it’s hard not to wake up feeling grouchy at your screaming alarm. No matter how many times you’ve gone through the drill, you never seem to get used to it.
Thankfully, there are some hacks to make you feel better, happier, and more productive in the morning. Here are some of the natural mood boosters you can try.
1. Get Enough Sleep
Do you know that inside your body, there is a built-in clock called the Circadian Rhythm? It’s better known as the biological clock.
It helps your body know when to eat, rest, and most importantly, wake up. This biological clock ensures that your body gets what it needs on time. In the morning, for example, your body knows when it had enough rest and it forces you to wake up and get breakfast. However, if your body somehow didn’t get enough rest for the night, your biological clock messes up and you’ll find it hard to wake up in the morning.
Everybody has a sleep quota. Although the number may vary for each person, people generally need 6 to 9 hours of sleep at night. It can help if you can track your own sleeping quota and make notes of how much sleep you need to feel the most energized during the day. Then, make a commitment to fulfill that quota every night.
2. Wake Up Slowly
I used to set my alarm ALAP, or as late as possible. I thought the extra minutes of sleep will make me feel more satisfied. But, I was wrong- big time.
Waking up and realizing that you just have very few minutes left to brush your teeth, get dressed and eat your breakfast can make you literally jump out of your bed. Believe me, that’s not the best way to start a day.
It will be much better if you wake up slowly. After you realize you’re awake, don’t move right away. Let your consciousness slowly build up to give your body enough time to get fully awake. Sit on the edge of your bed and slowly rise up for your morning routine. Take around 3-5 minutes for this whole process. It can help you feel less disoriented, less tired, and more content.
3. Avoid Looking at Your Phone
Many people automatically reach out for their phones the moment they wake up since most of them use it as their alarm. I personally prefer a separate alarm. It keeps me from being tempted to do more with my phone, like checking my messages and email. Before I know it, I’ve already spent 20 minutes of my morning with it.
4. Use Five Minutes in Meditation
When you sleep, you part with your consciousness for a while. Now, after you wake up, you will need to reconnect with yourself. Take five more minutes after you wake up to stay still and focus your thoughts in remembering who you are, where you are, and what your life purposes are.
5. Greet the Morning
As soon as you get out of bed, stand up in front of the window and open it. Let the morning air caress your face. Observe the morning with all your senses. Look at the color of the sky. Listen to the birds chirping. As you start using your senses, you’ll be gently pulled from your unconsciousness into full awareness.
6. Do Ten Minutes of Exercise
When you’re already fully awake, getting those limbs to move will be a lot easier.
You can do simple warming up exercises, like nodding your head rhythmically, lifting your shoulders up and down, or you can just start walking in place. These movements will stretch your muscles after a whole night of lying down.
7. Take A Cold Shower
After you exercise, you can consider taking a cold shower. Although it’s not an inviting idea to pour cold water on your body in the morning, it can actually refresh and bring you into full alertness.
When the cold water comes into contact with your skin, the shock prompts your body to adjust its temperature. This means increasing your blood flow which can also give you a natural boost of energy.
8. Play Mood Boosting Music
As you exit the shower, it’s a nice idea if you can turn on your music player. Make a ‘morning mood’ playlist the night before so you can just play it as you complete your morning routine.
It doesn’t have to include motivational songs. You can add any song you like to your playlist as long as it can help boost your mood and energy.
9. Apply Essential Oil
After dressing up, you can add a sheer amount of mood booster: aromatherapy.
There are various scents for aromatherapy. For mood boosting and energizing effects, you can try scents of orange, lemon, mint, and bergamot. You can apply them in certain parts of your body where you’d normally put perfume – on your wrist, your neck, or behind your ear.
10. Hug Your Loved Ones
Hugging people you love has a grounding effect. It can remind you to make the most out of your day. If you live alone, make sure to send your loved ones some greetings. It can boost their morning, too.
11. Get A Light, Tasty and Nutritious Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you sleep, you’re essentially fasting. This makes your blood sugar especially low.
When preparing your breakfast, make sure that it’s light so your body can easily digest it. Ideally, your breakfast should contain protein, a little fat and lots of fiber. It means having a variety of choices, like eggs, fish, vegetables and many other tasty choices.
See Also: 5 New Ways To Eat Breakfast And Skip Mid-Morning Slump
12. Drink Hot Chocolate
Are you thinking of snatching a cup of Starbucks later on your way to work? While coffee is definitely the most popular morning beverage for office workers, cocoa might just be better.
Coffee can help you focus during your work, but cocoa, with its flavonoids, can do the same while improving your mood in the process. Its sugar content can also keep you going through the day.
13. Smile
Smiling doesn’t require a lot of effort, yet it’s really a powerful action. Even though you’re not really happy, smiling can condition your mind to think positively. And when you have positive thoughts, it’s relatively easy to enjoy your day.
14. Expose Yourself To Sunlight
Natural sunlight can’t only improve your mood, but it can also make you healthy.
Once you’re out of the house, you can try spending several minutes under the morning sun before you get inside your car. Sunlight can do a lot of things inside your body, like syncing your biological clock.
When there’s not enough light, it signals your body to get some rest. You’ll feel a decline in your energy and you get sleepy. In contrast, when your body gets exposed to natural sunlight, it conditions your body to get to work. As a result, you’ll feel alert and energized.
15. Do One Kind Act
Human is naturally kind and being able to act according to that nature can give you happiness. The more you feel accomplished, the better your mood will be.
Kind actions don’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as giving away your subway seat to an elderly. Smiling at strangers counts, too. You can also give a dollar or two to the homeless people on the street.
16. Do Something that Makes You Happy
Allowing yourself to do something that makes you happy is like a treat. It can be a quick visit to your favorite cafe or reading a chapter of your favorite novel before work. Giving yourself a reward can make you feel accomplished. It can also boost your mood and confidence.
See Also: 10 Secrets To A Happy and Fulfilled Life
The list above is totally customizable. You can pick the ones most suitable and effective for you.
What other natural mood boosters do you do or use to get energized in the morning?
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Author: Azhar
I believe our quality of life could rise just as dramatically if we all began practicing personality hygiene, can you imagine what would world be like if everyone was psychologically healthier ? I DO
