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Lately, I have been looking to become more intentional with my morning routine.
After all the way you start your day is how you will feel the rest of the day.
I have noticed that when I start my mornings rushed I feel anxious and restless for the rest of the day.
And when I start my mornings slow and tired that I feel sleepy and lazy throughout the day.
So, I am trying to find a balance of waking myself with more inner peace and not feel like I am wearing myself out too early.
There is nothing better than creating a morning routine to set you off on the right path for the day ahead.
For mornings to be more intentional, productive, calmer, and peaceful there are a few things you need to avoid doing as soon as you wake up.
Here are 8 things you should never do in the morning if you want a more intentional and peaceful morning.
1. Checking social media
This is a big one for many people, myself included.
How many times have you rolled over picked up your phone and just started to mindlessly scroll through social media and before you know it 30-45 minutes of your morning is gone.
You are coming out of a relaxed sleep to jump on social media and this can actually make you stressed out.
When you roll over in the morning don’t even touch your phone.
Focus on waking up, your morning, and your life.
Social media can wait, it’s not going anywhere.
2. Checking emails and working from bed
If you are a business owner, blogger, or even a CEO, work is always on your mind.
So, getting on your phone, and answering emails right as you open your eyes is not the best thing for your mental health.
Just don’t do it.
Designate a time in the morning to start your day and that is when you should start checking your emails.
Your mood and mental health will thank you for this.
Related Reads:
- 10 Morning Habits That Will Change Your Life
- 8 Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship with Social Media
- 30 Ways to Practice Self-Love
- How to Start Your Day with Clarity and Focus
3. Jumping out of bed
Your alarm clock goes off and you instantly jump out of bed.
This isn’t good.
You should take time to stretch your body out.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I sleep in one position almost every night because it is the only comfortable position for my back pain, so nothing feels better than when I wake up and stretch out my body.
My bones crack and my muscles feel looser.
Don’t overstretch just a light stretch to wake your body up is all that is needed.
As your morning goes on you should get in the habit of moving your body more.
Whether it is going outside for a walk, doing a home workout, exercising at the gym, or even practicing yoga.
4. Not eating a healthy breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Your body just was in rest mode and recovering for 7-8 hours and it needs nutrients to give you the energy to go on with your day.
Choose healthy and nutritious foods and avoid sugary breakfast options like muffins, pastries, and cereals.
Eat a balanced breakfast of protein, carbohydrates, and fruits/vegetables.
5. Drinking coffee right away
Being asleep for 7-8 hours can cause your body to become dehydrated.
Coffee is not the best option to hydrate your body when you first wake up.
Instead make some hot lemon water which will help you hydrate, stimulate your digestion, and enhance your metabolism.
You will notice how your body will begin to feel more awake and energetic.
So, start with hot lemon water first thing in the morning then have your coffee after.
6. Hitting the snooze button
We all know snoozing is terrible but we tend to do it a few times every morning.
When you hit the snooze button and fall back to sleep you actually wake up feeling groggier than usual.
So, your mind and body become more tired.
I know it isn’t easy waking up on the first alarm especially when you are warm and cozy in bed.
Take it day by day and learn to get in the habit of waking up once your alarm goes off and never hit the snooze button.
A Sunrise Alarm Clock is a great way to help you wake up more naturally and less groggy. It mimics the sunrise and also has natural sounds for the alarm so you aren’t startled awake by a loud annoying alarm clock.
7. Not working on your mindset
Starting your day with personal development is so important for self-awareness, inspiration, motivation, and self-improvement.
You should be working on your mindset every day no matter what.
So, avoid watching Netflix or the news in the morning.
You can do these instead:
- Listen to inspiring podcasts
- Practice meditation
- Watch motivational videos on Youtube
- Repeat positive morning affirmations
- Start journaling
- Read a book
8. Complaining
When you wake up in the morning do you really want to complain first thing in the morning?
Why and what are you complaining about?
You woke up and you are alive.
Don’t complain.
Take this to practice gratitude and be thankful to be alive and all the blessings in your life.
Complaining doesn’t get you anywhere.
When you practice gratitude you are acknowledging all the good you have in your life.
Life is a blessing, don’t take it for granted.
Final Thoughts
Living your best life is the result of great habits and your morning routine has a strong effect on your life.
If your morning routine is hectic right now then making all these changes at once isn’t going to happen right away.
Approach the change of your morning routine with grace and let your mind, body, and soul adapt to it.
You will notice changes throughout your day and your life as you start avoiding these habits in your morning routine.
You will feel calmer, less stressed, and more productive.
I hope this post has inspired you to reflect on your morning routine and see what you need to change to become more intentional about how you start your day.
Michelle Gagliani
Owner & Founder
Michelle is the Founder of The Balanced CEO and a Holistic Nutritionist + Health Coach. She was born and raised in St.Thomas, U.S.V.I., and is currently living in Austin, TX. When she’s not running this blog and online business, she is cozied up at home watching TV, taking long walks in nature, or trying out new healthy recipes.
I definitely agree that complaining and hitting the snooze button totally ruin my day from the outset. Thanks for this article.
Same here! Thanks for reading Kate š
Love these suggestions. I have to give myself time to stretch and try to eat breakfast often .
Glad to hear you loved them Keena!
Thank you Michelle, for a nice article. Agree with everything said, Iāve seen such improvement upon doing meditation and yoga š§āāļø each morning. Less anxiety and more joy as a result…
Have a great day.
š„° Thank you, Rianna! I hope you have a great day too!
I need to stop checking my phone first thing in the morning. It is such a bad habit and keeps me in bed longer than I should after I wake up. However, I never thought about how important it was to actually take the time to stretch first thing in the morning.
It is definitely a hard habit to break! But, stretching is so important! Thank you for reading and commenting Sarah!
Wow, I don’t do any of these in the morning! *Proud dance
But honestly many people do these and it’s so important to change these habits. Great post!
Yay!! That is so awesome Nisha! š
I’m trying my best to have a productive morning routine, I still have a problem with the snooze button.
It’s always a work in progress. You got this Lynn! š
Love this! I need to work on drinking a glass of water before going to my coffee. I always feel better when doing it but for whatever reason haven’t gotten consistent with it yet! One thing that helped me when I first started getting up earlier was to talk to myself differently. “You don’t have to feel motivated, get up anyway” vs “oh I’m so tired, hitting snooze one more time won’t hurt” great post!
I think sometimes we get so excited to drink our morning coffee š but that is such a great wake to talk to yourself in the morning. I’ll have to try that more too! Thanks Kathleen!
WHY AM I GUILTY TO ALL OF THESE LOL. I really have to stop. Thank you for this slap in the face. Thank you!
šš didn’t mean to make you feel called out Meredith lol
Great simple tips that I most of use don’t even think of. Thanks. š
š You’re welcome Nina!
I love your suggestions. I tend to fall into my social media every morning, which is not healthy. https://tammyhorvath.com/blog/
Thank you Tammy! It is a hard habit to break!
Being retired, you have all day to do the things you mentioned here. I like to start my day by relaxing and taking in what the day will offer me.
That’s awesome Christina!
Great tips! I would like to look into that Sunrise Alarm Clock, I am terrible about getting up, I always feel drained of energy. Maybe this will help my wake up feel more natural!
Yes, I think it definitely will help you out Sydney!
Being intentional about our mornings, I like that!
š Glad you do Debbie!
Well done! I agree with all of your points. If we take the day in an intentional way first thing in the morning, it will end much differently than it might have otherwise. <3
Thank you Katharine! ā¤ļø
These are great tips! #8 is my favorite.
Thanks Debbi!
This is a great list. I could work on a few of these. Hot lemon water is amazing in the morning. I enjoy that so much.
Glad you enjoyed it Heather š
I am really trying to not check my phone first thing, but rather take some deep breaths and stretch out for a bit. This is a good list to help one get going on the right foot!
Thanks Emi! ā¤ļø Stretching and deep breaths help so much when we first wake up.
Love this! You are so right – do NOT check social media first thing in the morning – what a time drain this can be. I’ve been challenging myself to only look at social media for limited amounts of time each day.
Glad you loved it Dawn! That’s great! I’ve been doing the same I have set it up on my phone to do a time limit on all my social media platforms and that helps so much!
Well, like Meredith, I too am guilty of pretty much all of the items I should not be doing… You are so right though! I need to work on it! š Thanks for the gentle reminders!
Anytime Barbara! I’m glad this post helped!
I’m the type of person who needs a routine in the morning. So I will agree with what you said. Great post!
Thanks Debbie!!
I too am trying to find a nice balance in my morning routine! I need to try adding light morning stretches!!!
Good luck Tiffany! I hope you find a balance that works for you š
This is great advice! My days have become so much more productive by not looking at my phone until after I’ve eaten, meditated, and gotten ready in the morning. Making morning time about ME is like spiritual spa time!
Omg yes it is! That’s a great way of putting it š
Lol , other than the coffee and complaining, I am literally messing up every single thing you mentioned. I need to do a morning routine reset.
Lol that morning routine reset should help!
Great suggestions. I fail I always work in bed! I need to fix that.
Thanks Lisa! I’ve noticed since not working in bed I’m more productive although I do miss how comfortable it is lol
I need to work on numbers 1, 5, 6, and 7! š Wonderful post!
š Thank you Kristin!
Since we started traveling we very rarely use an alarm. We have enjoyed living with our natural bio-rhythms, waking with the sun most days. It is such a relaxing way to start our day. On the days we do need to be up by a certain time, we are almost always awake before the alarm goes off.
That sounds wonderful Sabrina!
These are all great tips. I’m retired, so I always found ways to have a calm, peaceful morning routine
With Covid-19, my routine was smashed to smithereens.
So now, since there’s no external routine, I do often lie in bed and play stupid games on my phone.
Thanks to you, I will try to do better.
Aww. I’m sorry Covid messed up your routine Suz ā¤ļø
Sigh… I do so many of the things on your list! LOL! At least I don’t complain first thing in the morning! Ha! Will have to work on improving my morning routine.
Lol that’s good that you don’t Marianne! I try to improve by taking it day by day and that helps so much!
Guilty of almost every single one!! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for reading Paige!
Agree with the social media and working in bed! Ugh – have to start the day by getting up – not getting right to work! Thanks for the reminders!
You’re welcome Tiffany! Thanks for reading ā¤ļø
I need to have a proper breakfast and not rush to coffee drinking
š Good idea Verna.
These are excellent tips for starting the day right!
Thank you Cindy ā¤ļø
Great tips and reminders!
Thanks Melissa!! ā¤ļø