A couple of weeks ago, I got several messages that start like this, “I don’t have a problem getting out of bed in the morning, but I get right back in after I turn off my alarm!! LOL”
Ok, seriously, haven’t we all been there? I have. Some mornings that is exactly what I need, actually just today I got up, turned off my alarm, and got back into bed to snuggle Jeff. But most mornings, I only want to get myself out of my warm bed once.
You know I have written several posts about how to get up in early in the morning… How to Stop Hitting the Snooze Button, Morning Motivation: How to Stay Motivated to Wake Up Early, Mom Morning Routine, etc. But this is one area that I haven’t touched on yet — what happens after you have gotten out of bed, turned off your snooze button, but you find yourself slithering back into bed?
I made a list of all of the things to put into your toolkit for that tweener time when you have successfully gotten your physical self out of bed, but your mental self needs to catch up. Sometimes I need an extra push and these tools are what I use to help me snap out of sleep.
How to get up and STAY UP in the morning
Turn on your lights!
I added an exclamation point to this one because that is how it’s going to feel at 5am when you hit the lights. Excited. And maybe painful.
Even though might be painful, the pain is temporary and it’s incredibly helpful to wake my brain up and it only hurts for a few seconds. This is another reason why putting my alarm in another room, like a bathroom, is a great practice. I close the door to the bathroom and turn the lights on. At this point my eyes and body already think it’s time to get the day started so it’s not worth turning back.
p.s. this is probably why I love my Hatch Restore sunrise alarm clock so much, read my review if you’re interested.
Brush your teeth
When I get up I go straight to my bathroom so I can take off my Ava bracelet, put on my watch, and start the morning. Which makes brushing my teeth the perfect thing to give my body yet another sign that it’s time to start the day. You know that minty fresh feeling after brushing your teeth? Oddly satisfying, right? It’s also refreshing and it wakes up my senses — all good things when you’re trying to avoid crawling back under the covers.
Splash water on your face (or wash your face)
While you’re by the sink, you might as well splash some (cold) water on your face — it’s a like a shower for your face! Super refreshing. And if you go with my suggestion and go with cold water it will definitely kick you in the rear.
Drink a big glass of water
If I went for 8 hours during the day without drinking water I’d be cotton-mouth thirsty and that’s exactly what we do when we sleep! We dehydrate ourselves for 7-8 hours (hopefully, you’re sleeping that long. Sorry, new moms with infants still learning to sleep). That’s why I always keep a full water bottle next to my bed and drink a a few gulps. Rehydrating my body in the first several minutes wakes me up, gets my digestion going, and feels darn good.
Side note: I always drink a full 20 ounce water bottle before I drink any coffee in the morning. I know some people who go straight to coffee or tea, and it works for them, but feel better when I start my day with water.
Change your clothes
You know the saying “dress for the job you want?” This I kind of like that. If your job is to sleep, stay in your pajamas. But if you’re job is to get your day started, change your clothes! I have found that picking out my workout clothes the night before and setting them in the bathroom has helped me build a really solid habit in the morning. I get up, swap my Ava bracelet for my watch, brush my teeth, splash water on my face, drink water, go to the bathroom, and without thinking I get dressed into my workout clothes. This might sound like a lot of steps, but the whole thing takes a few minutes tops.
Move your body
The worst thing I can do for myself when I’m in that vulnerable in between — do I snooze or stay up — is to sit down, stand still, or “just lay down for a few more minutes”. That is a seriously slippery slope. To get up for good, I need to get my body moving!
I recently started to add a short stretching routine to my mornings, which is really restorative, but when I say move I mean something with a punch. Most days I head downstairs to bike or do a strength workout. If I’m not working out that day for whatever reason, I might just do a few squats or jumping jacks in the bathroom. I know it sounds kind of silly, but even if you’ve never done a burpee in your bathroom before, try it out! When I get my body moving and get my blood flowing, it only helps me feel more awake.
Shower
I like to workout in the morning so I shower later in my routine, but if working out is not part of your morning routine, you don’t sweat like I do while working out, or you’re not working out today, showering is a great way to wake yourself up. I do this on the weekends if I sleep in and plan to workout at nap time.
If you get good, you’ll end up turning on your shower in the morning and jumping in without even realizing what you did (kind of like when you forget your drive to work after days and days and months of establishing the habit).
Caution: Screen time is a trap
My logic is probably the same as yours — screen time can easily keep me up at night (scrolling, blue light) so it must work in the morning too, right? I’m not a scientist, but I’d say the short answer is probably yes. But I tried out screen time on my phone as an option to help me stay up in the morning and here’s what I found… it’s a trap. When I got up and went straight to screen time I usually ended up scrolling on Instagram or checking work messages and two unfortunate things happened:
- I started the morning worrying about other people and other things instead of taking care of myself.
- I spend waaaaay too much time (sometimes 20 minutes!) having my phone screen help “wake me up”. That is precious time that could be spent sleeping or taking care of myself.
Obviously you have to find what works best for you, but if you’re using screen time to wake you up in the morning, be aware of how it makes you feel and how much time you’re spending with it.
Now you know how to get up and stay up in the morning
Time for you to make it happen!! What are you going to try first? Let me know 🙂