I never thought this day would come where I would actually write this post talking about my mornings habits that have reduced my stress and anxiety for the better and consequently. It has been a journey so far and I am loving the positivity I see in me now.

On 1st January 2023 i decided i want to take care of my mental and physical health and this of course meant i had to to make some changes in my daily routine. I didn’t know if i was actually going to make it but this time more that ever i was focused on my goals.

My old morning routine was nothing to write home about. I usually woke up as tired as the night before. I had intentionally set about 3 alarms on my phone so that i could keep sleeping till the last alarm went off and even with that i will still snooze the alarm. This was stressful in itself as by turning off alarms every 30 minutes I was not getting anymore rest than if i had just woken up on the first alarm. When i finally got out of bed, it was chaos usually starting with me being angry at the whole world because i have to wake up and then rolling out of bed sluggishly like a zombie and then rushing against time to get to work in a fairly decent condition.

Here are my 8 current morning habits that have reduced my stress and anxiety and improved my well-being

Wake up early

This was a difficult one to do because all I wanted especially in the mornings was to keep sleeping but i realised if i could wake up early and take it easy without any rush that was a lot more relaxing. I have set my alarm for 5.30 am which is early but works for me. Ideally i should leave the house for work at 8.00 am which means i have 2 hours and a half in the morning to myself which slowly to slowly start up my day and engage in activities that contribute to a productive morning.

Use Soothing Music or Podcasts as Alarm

Regular alarm sounds and vibrations caused me so much anxiety as they always woke me up in a startle or just a bit abruptly. This caused me some headache and my heart will start racing from how how quickly that sound would shake me. Instead of using vibrations and sounds, I currently use soothing sounds and podcasts to slowly wake myself up. To be honest i find my podcast alarm more effective as it is set to a portuguese conversational podcast for language learners. This means i wake up already to the sound of another language where my brain is already activated trying to decipher what is being said. It’s effective.

Meditate

With my brain already activated i go ahead to meditate. This part could really improve as i meditate still laying in bed. Ideally you should assume a position which wouldn’t allow you to fall back to sleep especially during the silent parts of a guided meditation. I am guilty and that is an aspect I still have to get into. I meditate for about 30 minutes in two sessions. The first is usually a guided meditation in English while the second is usually positive affirmations type of meditation in Portuguese as part of my language learning. By the end of this meditation I am relaxed and calm and still have enough time until i finally get out of bed

Read or watch educational and inspirational contents

Once I have finally gotten out of bed try to listen to educational videos even whiles in the shower. Consuming positive contents is really important. My old routine involved me scrolling through my phone for minutes and sometimes hours consuming things that didn’t really add anything to my life if anything it impacted me negatively. I had to at a point get rid of my social media applications on my phone to help me stay centered. Listening to positive contents and educational contents have really contributed to my well-being and my morning relaxation.

Get ready

I like a hot shower to start my day. It wakes me up even more and sets the pace for getting ready. Taking a shower first thing in the morning, taking care of your hygiene, doing a quick facial massage and getting ready for work while listening to positive conversations is an experience.

Eat Breakfast

Unless you are fasting intermittently you shouldn’t miss breakfast. A full stomach in the morning automatically improves your mood. It doesn’t have to be a huge breakfast but you need at least some amount of nutrition in the morning to give you the energy you need. I used to skip breakfast in the mornings not because wanted to but because I never found enough time to eat breakfast as i was always in a rush. This is not ideal so sit down and eat something in the morning.

Journal

I like to journal in the morning when i still have enough time to and usually i do. It doesn’t take a lot of time. 5 minutes is enough time to write down how you are feeling that morning and what you would like to achieve by the end of the day. It is good therapy because this is the time you get to talk to yourself and write down on paper what you have in your mind.

Listen to music or podcasts whiles driving

When i finally leave the house i make sure to list to turn on some music or Portuguese podcast to practice listening while driving to work. I have just 20 minutes drive to work so it is not a lot of time so I like to make it as productive as possible. I do not do music often in the mornings but language learning podcasts have been keeping me company and it works for me

With all of these little things i get to do in the mornings before actually getting to work and starting my day, I have seen positive improvements in my mood. I feel good in the mornings. I might not feel good through out the day but I am happy that I take time for myself and do things that ease the stress that may engulf me during the day. I am still learning and I might change a few things or add some other things but for now, I am way happier than i used to be. I am in tune with myself and i like the feeling of taking my mornings slow.

Your ideal morning isn’t something that just happens. You’ve got to deliberately craft it. Hopefully, you’re able to implement some of the changes I’ve suggested above to help reduce your anxiety and take back control of your days.