The morning often sets the tone for the entire day. Bad eating, hygiene and waking habits in the morning can lead to stressful, unproductive days. It is essential to first identify any bad morning habits and then make efforts to improve them.
Eating the Wrong Food
Starting the day with food that is bad for you and difficult to digest can lead to slow metabolism and less energy for the rest of the day. Adversely, eating no food at all has the same effect. Change the bad habit of eating the wrong food or not eating by stocking your kitchen with accessible healthy food, such as apples and yogurt.
Doing as Little as Possible in the Morning
Most people map out exactly what they have to do before they go to work or school in the morning. They limit this list to make it easier to sleep late and get out the door just in time. Instead, start the day off with a shower, some exercise and a few chores, if you can fit them in. Set the alarm clock for ten minutes earlier and see what you can fit into that extra ten minutes.
Stressing Out in the Morning
The opposite bad habit of not doing enough in the morning is doing too much. Saving too many things for the morning can stress you out the moment you wake up. Once the stress sets in, it is very difficult to change the tone of the day. If you can make your morning easier by doing one or two 5 to 10 minute chores the night before, do it.
Skipping Basic Hygiene
Most of us have done this at one time or another -- run out the door without brushing your hair or teeth. Of course, you try to avoid this at all costs. It just makes you feel messy for the rest of the day. Brush your teeth while you shower or immediately after eating breakfast every day to form a habit. Keep a hairbrush in your car.
Starting off Sluggish
We all feel slow in the first moments after waking. Some of us feel slow for an hour or more. Change the habit of letting this set the tone for your day by listening to your favorite music and getting energized for the day. If you have to plan one thing to look forward to every day to get you pumped, do it.
It is not easy to change a lifetime of bad morning habits. Start slowly by changing one habit and seeing how it makes you feel. If your days go smoother, you have more energy and you are happier in the morning, move on to the next bad habit.
