Some people, like my mother, are morning people. No matter how early they have to get up, they somehow manage it with a cheerful smile and a bright demeanor. For the rest of us, mornings can be difficult and sometimes even stressful. I used to be one of those people who hits the snooze at least a half dozen times most mornings before finally dragging myself out of bed the chorus of complaints of hunger from my pets and family, and the ever-looming deadline to leave for work.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are some simple things you can do in order to make your mornings a little less stressful, a little more simple and, in short, a little more old-fashioned.
Clean the kitchen the night before
Okay, so this technically isn’t a morning thing, but you should always try and go to bed with a clean kitchen. This will lessen your stress in the morning as you will have room to make breakfast and, more importantly, coffee without having to work around dirty dishes.
Get up early
Hitting the snooze button a million times is a recipe for a bad morning. I know we’re all guilty of this (me especially), but your best bet for a simple, old-fashioned morning is to get up as early as you can. If you’re not a morning person, try getting an alarm clock that doesn’t have a snooze button, as you’ll be forced to get up when it goes off, or else get one with a radio so you can wake up some some tunes.
Go outside
Weather permitting, take a step outside and breathe in the fresh morning air. While I’m not a morning person, I’ll be the first one to admit that nothing wakes me up like the clean smell of country air, especially during the summer when the air is delightfully cool. In the winter, you might just want to instead peek outside and stay in where it’s warm.
Reflect and relax
The morning is the best time to take some time to yourself. Get up before the rest of the family and spend some time on things you enjoy. Write in a journal, read a book, or simply enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and watch the sun rise. This will give you time to reflect on your day and start things off properly.
Pick up the house
While you’re waiting for your coffee to start, take a moment and pick up around the house. I’m not talking actually cleaning, but just minor straightening up. Collect abandoned socks and move them to the laundry room, refold the blankets, put the movies or toys away, and straighten the pillows. Even this tiny bit of cleaning will help brighten the day and make things more organized and simple later.
Review the day
Take a moment before everyone else gets up and go over calendar and events for the day. Do you have anything that simply must be done today? Is there a task or event that you have to plan around? Spending a few moments organizing your day will help you be productive and, in turn, allow you to relax more as you’ll have a plan.
Eat a good breakfast
It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s also somehow the most overlooked. Don’t skip out on breakfast; since you’re up early anyway, take some time and start a good old-fashioned breakfast for the family. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can still whip up a simple batch of pancakes or fry an egg and make a breakfast sandwich. This will jump start both your metabolism and your day.
Do you have any old-fashioned habits you do in the morning? How many of these do you do every morning? Share with me in the comments below!
Leave a Reply