Fighting Stress with Healthy Morning Routines (Bonus ‘Eat Your Way to Zen’ E-Book)
Updated: Oct 8, 2020
But, there are simple ways to combat stress & even become stress resistant.
Stress is literally a killer! It can cause acne, hair loss, weight gain, weight loss and a host of other health problems. It can make you feel crazy and overwhelmed by EVERYTHING!
Routines and organization are great ways to deal with stress throughout the day. And first thing in the morning is the best place to start, because setting the tone for the day starts the minute you open your eyes. If you aren’t careful, stress can rear its ugly little face into your sights before you can do anything about it.
So just how do you combat stress first thing in the morning?
Here are my top tips to get you started in creating your own morning routine to help alleviate stress.
Stop Hitting Snooze
If you’re one of those people that keep hitting the snooze button in an attempt to get more sleep, you’re probably not going to like what I’m about to tell you.
When you press that snooze button over and over again, you are causing yourself to have less time to prepare for the day & that alone can cause stress. If you need five or six alarms, try setting them a little earlier than when you actually need to wake up. At least this will allow you to hit that snooze button (once or twice – not 10!) and still get up on time. Having to rush in the morning is a breeding ground for high stress levels throughout the day. That evil snooze button is just not worth it.
Don’t Constantly Check Your Phone
Constantly checking your phone, whether its social media or emails, can cause those stress levels to heighten. Checking your phone right after waking up overloads your brain causing stress by trying to wake up faster. Try not checking your phone until you’re on your first work break. It will allow your mind the time it needs to wake up on its own, be productive early and do it calmly.
Breathe
We often forget, but good quality breathing is so important. Learning to calm yourself through breathing exercises will help fight away the stress that might hit in the form of panic or anxiety attacks.
Take in deep breaths while counting to five, then exhale counting to five. Doing this helps to gain control of the situation which alleviates the feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed by everything going on around you. Doing this in the morning before you even get out of bed is a great way to prepare your mind for all the tasks you need to tackle.
Repeat An Affirmation
Saying kind things to yourself about yourself will definitely make you happy and keep those pesky stress levels at bay.
It can be anything that makes you feel positive like “I am grateful for my life”, “I begin my life today”, “I am kind”, or “I am beautiful”. It really just depends on you and what you need/want to hear. The moment you start to feel like you’re being flooded with too much and become overwhelmed, take a breath and repeat your affirmation. This will help calm you and also help keep you positive and motivated to get through the day.
My favorite affirmation is a mantra from Hawaiian called Ho’oponopono: “I’m Sorry. Please Forgive Me. Thank You. I love you.”
Eat A Good Breakfast
We’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day & there are plenty of studies that can prove it.
A British study in 2012 found that “people who ate breakfast reported feeling 89% less anxious in challenging situations later that day, and were able to deal with dilemmas 7% faster than on days they skipped their A.M. meal”. So, make sure you not only eat breakfast, but that you eat a HEALTHY breakfast. Doing this will increase your brain function and reaction and allow you to focus more on the tasks you need to tackle each day.
Make A List for Productivity
Early on in the morning, try to focus on your high-concentration tasks. This includes things like writing reports, seeing patients, managing finances or anything else that might require more focus and/or creativity. The best way to put those things in order of how much concentration they require is to make a list. After you complete one of the tasks, cross it off. Doing this will alleviate the feeling of being overwhelmed and flooded with tasks throughout your day.
I hope this helps you navigate stress & find peace & calm throughout the day!
If you are fighting stress each day or even every once in a while, you can decrease the amount of stress you feel just by sticking to a good healthy and quality morning routine.
What does your morning routine look like?
xoxo,
