There are tons of morning routines that you can look for on the internet. It could be an article, a video, or even a podcast episode. If you have noticed, the majority of morning routines are focused on what you should add to it or the things that you should do. In this article, I will try to break down the opposite and focus on what you should stop doing instead.
Checking Your Phone – It somehow becomes a norm always to check out social media early in the morning. However, you need to stop checking out your phone when you wake up. According to Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, “Immediately turning to your phone when you wake up can start your day off in a way that is more likely to increase stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed.”
There are precisely three reasons that explain why. First, when it becomes your morning act to check on your phone, it affects all the possible energy to build a focused muscle. From there, you won’t have enough motivation to do anything for quite a few hours. Second, you won’t be able to control the habit. Even if you wanted to only check on it for five minutes, you’d end up wasting 20 or possibly go for hours. Third, you’ll end up hurting yourself. No healthy position allows you to stay comfortable while checking out your phone for an extended period. Using it for a long time gives you a bad postural position. And if you continue the habit, you can end up causing nerve damage.
Eating An Unhealthy Breakfast – It’s understandable that most individuals easily fall into a pattern they used to do every morning. And when it is already a habit, it somehow means impossible to change it in an instant. In most books, you’ll usually find things about how important it is to eat protein and fat-heavy breakfast. That’s because it decreases the feeling of anxiety. We all know the mantra: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Susan Albers, Psy.D. says, “It can help to power your day like starting the day with a full tank of gas versus running on fumes.”
However, most people like to eat a lot of carbohydrates and sugar when they wake up. But neither of those things will sustain healthy energy that helps throughout the day. So instead of eating unhealthy, try propping up your meal in bulk. Make sure to add lots of fruits and vegetables in it. It will surely save you a lot of time, money, and effort.
Hitting The Snooze Button On The Alarm – You probably already know that this is part of the list. Whether you deny it, you somehow made this a habit. Hitting a snooze button means you typically deny yourself a good quality of sleep. When you are interrupting your sleep cycle and attempting to get to a new one after, you’re already making the morning routine worst. Hitting a snooze button is a horrible idea because it means you already failed to do the first thing you set up in the evening. Therefore, the motivation on the set intention gets ignored. So, make yourself a favor and get out of bed once the alarm goes off.
Complaining – Admittedly, a lot of people wake up in the morning and complain. It is an issue for some to get up early. Some of them complain that it’s too early, others think they haven’t slept enough, they feel exhausted and everything, etc.
“First, one person states a problem. Next, another person responds by offering suggestions on how to solve it. Then the first says, ‘Yes, but…’ and proceeds to shoot down the solutions offered,” explains Psychologist Eric Berne.
The problem with the attitude of continually complaining early in the morning has a tangible effect on your subconscious and level of motivation. It deprives you of having a positive mental state that is beneficial throughout the day. So instead of focusing on the things that you hate, think about some stuff that you can be grateful for the day.
You can always find the best morning routine that suits you. Information is widely available. But for those things you need to stop doing, make sure you know how to set it right.