Does the sound of birds singing outside your window at daybreak make you want to reach for shotgun?
That’s ok. You’re not a morning person. I hear you. It’s perfectly normal. Maybe you’ve been up all night tossing and turning. Perhaps, you’ve got a horrible day at work ahead and you just can’t find the desire to get up. Or maybe it’s just another in a long line of wet, miserable days outside.
Ways to Combat the Feeling of Fatigue Every Morning
Feeling lethargic in the morning can be a hard feeling to shake. It can be tempting to call the whole day off, hit snooze and hide under the covers until it’s all over.
The problem with that plan is that when it’s over, another begins and you have to go through the whole process again. Well, don’t despair and don’t give up on today just yet. Here are ? ways you can help combat the morning blues and have you bounding out of bed.
Bedtimes are not just for kids
There are night owls and early birds in the world, that’s for sure. But if us morning haters are honest with ourselves the main reason we are so groggy in the morning is because we’ve likely stayed up much, much too late the night before.
Either we’ve been out and about partying, sat up late working, or just chilling. Of course by ‘chilling’ I obviously mean watching Netflix. Going to bed at or 2am, and expecting to wake up at 7am feeling fresh as a daisy is madness.
Study after study has shown that the body requires a minimum of 7-9 hours of quality slumber a night to function correctly. Anything less than 7 hours a night and you are actually doing your health a world of hurt.
Work out when is the latest time you absolutely have to be up in the morning and wind your clock back 9 hours. That’s your new bedtime. Stick to it for a week and I personally guarantee that morning time will be an easy land to visit.
Have something to wake up for.
When it comes to longevity there is pretty much only one country to which we should turn to for advice, that’s Japan. Our friends in the Land of the Rising Sun have more centenarians, per head of population, than any other country on the planet. So they must be doing something right!
Their livelongability (yes, that’s a word), is probably due to a myriad of factors involving diet, cleanliness and respect for the elderly, but it could also be to do with a little concept called ikigai.
The people of Japan believe that everyone should have an ikigai, this being a reason to jump out of bed each and every morning. Finding what it is, is the key to a longer and more fulfilled life.
Now, your ikigai doesn’t have to be related to your dayjob. It would be great if you were that passionate about your work but realistically we’re not all that fortunate. Your reason for bounding out of bed each morning could be as simple as taking the dog for a walk. Attending a pre-work yoga class. Going for a training run in preparation for an upcoming marathon. Spending more time with the kids before school.
What your actual ikigai is, isn’t really important. What is important is that you find something you’re passionate about that it makes getting up and out of bed feel worthwhile.
Have something tasty waiting for breakfast
Sometimes I think I could stay in bed all day, that is until my belly starts rumbling ‘n’ grumbling. Knowing that you have something both tasty, healthy and energy boosting waiting for you in the kitchen can be the jolt you need to get out of bed.
Coffee is the obvious choice to give you a nice kickstart to your day. And I’m definitely not here to tell you to say no to a nice cup of joe. I would warn against becoming dependent on the black stuff however.
My drink of choice, and the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning, is a good smoothie. Now, some people swear by something green and leafy, often involving wheatgrass or spirulina. While that may work for them, all those leaves would send me racing back under the covers.
My particular breakfast tipple is a healthy version of a Chunky Monkey. Which is frozen banana, peanut butter, coconut milk, cacao powder blended together and then topped off with some cacao nibs. Ummm…absolutely divine. While it looks decadent, it’s actually pretty healthy. Plus the energy boost it gives me lasts a lot longer than any cup of coffee.
Well there you go, my top three tips to beat away the morning blues. Of course, there are heaps more life hacks out there to help you become a morning person. Wearing bright clothes for a little colour therapy, get a sleep cycle app to wake you at the optimum time, have a little pre-breakfast sex…the list is endless.
Try a few out, stick with them for a week or two and who knows? You might just a morning person too!
