10 Small Mistakes You’re Probably Making in the Morning
“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” — Lemony Snicket
We all think our tomorrow will be better. But that seldom happens. Because we don’t let it happen.
We want to get up refreshed, relaxed, and happy in the morning.
But that doesn’t happen every day. Because soon after getting up, our worries take the driving seat and drive us on the stressed path for the entire day.
Morning is the best of times as it starts our day. And everyone wants their day to be good from the very start. However, sometimes, we unintentionally make minor mistakes that ruin our mood and ruin our day.
Hey! wait.
I do not advise you to get up at 5 am to be happy for the rest of your day.
I am not telling you that. Be sure.
No, I am not telling you to do yoga or run for 10 miles in the morning to be healthy and look smart. These tips are outdated now.
I am telling you those things which you do unknowingly. I am telling you of the things which you may not notice but you do them and they have greater effects on your day.
Yes, everything you do has a meaning and carries the burden of importance in your life.
So, here are the ten small mistakes you’re probably making in the morning that stress your life and how to avoid them to make your life better.
1. You leave everything until the morning
You probably be running after many things in the morning. I did.
When I would get up, my spouse would already be running after things she should have prepared in the night. The same was with me, too.
For us, getting up in the morning was not less than sailing through a stormy ocean.
Preparing our children for schools, finding their shoes which they often forget to keep in place despite bits of fatherly advice, checking their school bags if their books and pens are there, packing lunches, doing breakfast on time, so to get to the school's bus on time.
After them, my turn comes. I have to prepare myself for the office and run after things which I should have done at night; what to wear, files to take or leave, keys, etc and everything becomes a stressor.
Sometimes in the rush, I couldn’t find necessary things that would create scenes.
According to a psychotherapist, Somia Zaman:
“Many of us are guilty of leaving everything we need to do until the morning when we could plan ahead and do some preparation the night before. A morning spent rushing about under pressure can make us more likely to neglect ourselves, for example not making time for breakfast, which can set our day off on a bad footing.”
But we have changed our routine. Now we don’t leave things to be done in the morning. I keep everything ready the night before and put it in the right place from where I can collect them in one go.
Similarly, I also check my kid's bags, their homework, shoes, and other things before going to bed.
2. You check your cell phone first in the morning
I was not alone in this. Most people rush to check their social media notifications right after waking up. This wastes most of our precious time, which we can use in morning preparation.
The worst habit I had was to reach out for my phone first in the morning. I would check for notifications, emails, and news right after opening my eyes. My spouse would often scold me for that. And she was right.
Apart from wasting my time, I would get a headache for the rest of the day, as well as the annoyance of my spouse would ruin my mood for the complete day. I would get late in the office because taking a shower and breakfast also would take time, so everything was in a hurry and nothing was going well.
I changed myself by avoiding this minor mistake. Now, it’s been months since I don’t check my phone first in the morning. No matter what. I straight away get up and start my day and everything goes fine with happiness.
According to Somia Zaman:
“This can have a negative impact on a person’s mood for the rest of the day because you aren’t allowing yourself to wake up naturally. You’re also likely to feel more anxious reaching for your phone as soon as you wake because if you start the day by checking a lengthy to-do list, you are more likely to start the day feeling overwhelmed.”
3. You don’t drink water after getting up
Fortunately, it’s my childhood habit to drink water first in the morning. I can’t imagine doing other things first. But my spouse doesn’t like drinking water in the morning and it was hard to make it her habit.
Not hydrating yourself after getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep isn’t good for your health. You are seriously doing injustice to yourself. Avoiding water first can have serious consequences for your health.
Commenting on the importance of drinking water after sleeping for long hours, Laura Connor, a life coach, says:
“You’ve not drunk anything for six to nine hours straight, you are dehydrated. Do not reach for the coffee first, it’s a diuretic and will dehydrate you further. Drink a large glass of water, at room temperature, on an empty stomach, before you do anything else! This will hydrate you, make you more regular and help with detoxing. Most people aren’t aware that dehydration causes a release of the stress hormone, cortisol, so get hydrating before you face the day.”
4. You skip breakfast often
Starting your day with a proper breakfast makes you refreshed and keeps you healthy mentally and physically. However, sometimes we miss it. Either we don’t have time or we don’t like it.
I often miss it or do it in a hurry, so I just get two or three sips of tea while eating something with it. When I miss it, I can’t focus on anything properly until I eat something that silences my stomach from calling me a tyrant and lets my mind and body focus on work.
The founder of LDN Mums Fitness and a wellbeing coach, Sarah Campus, comments on the significance of breakfast that:
“It kickstarts your metabolism, and it regulates your blood sugars. By avoiding breakfast, you’re more likely to snack and — in particular — reach for sugary snacks which will give you a spike in energy but an even quicker slump creating a vicious cycle.”
5. Hitting the snooze button
Getting up on time is hard. So we set an alarm which is a good thing to do. But that doesn’t help us get up, but we hit the snooze button and doze off again. However, hitting the snooze button can disturb your body's internal clock. Instead of giving you relief, it makes you more tired and stresses you.
Fun fact, On Sundays, I wake up on time without an alarm; however, on working days, even an alarm fails to wake me up. I always hit the snooze button and doze off for a few minutes. Those few minutes turn to hours if my spouse doesn’t wake me up on time.
My spouse told me if I would hit the snooze button again, she would throw a bowl of chilling water on my face. She even did once.
Since then, I always imagine she is standing next to me and holding cold water in her hand.
However, apart from this fun fact, reaching the office on time wakes me up quickly as you know what happens when you get late for work regularly.
Now I don’t rely on alarms. I bank upon my fears of wasting time and that’s the best waking up trick.
According to Campus:
“It throws you off your circadian rhythm, interfering with your body’s natural sleep-wake rhythms. Regularly relying on it to sneak in more sleep will mess with your body’s internal clock, which can actually deprive you of sleep and lack of energy.”
6. You wake up already worrying about all the tasks
Most people often sleep and wake up worrying and ruminating about upcoming tasks that stress them more. These thoughts turn their mood negative and ruin their day and productivity.
Scott Macpherson, a lecturer in mental health, is of the view that:
“Going with these thought patterns magnifies and prolongs negative mood states. All the things we worry about fall into one of three categories: unimportant, unlikely or uncontrollable and, as such, worry is a bit of a waste of time.”
Starting your day with negative thoughts incites negative emotions and feelings about people and things around you. This affects your dealing with people negatively and also has negative effects on your daily work.
Charlotte Ferrier, a mindset coach, says that:
“That’s why exposing yourself to the news first thing is a rubbish way to start the day. As humans, we’re programmed with a negative bias and our systems naturally respond by pumping out stress hormones.”
7. You reach for sugar and caffeine first
Sometimes people try to reach for things that contain sugar and caffeine such as chocolate, tea, coffee, soda, or energy drinks as quick fixes. This is not a good habit of even healthy people but those who already suffer from anxiety, it's the worst habit to take these things first, says the founder of The Mind Map, Phil Bridges. He says that:
“The stress hormone cortisol is released as a response to stress, and science shows cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking for those experiencing stress. Reaching for caffeine and sugar increases your anxiety. Instead, try to incorporate nutrients like zinc, magnesium, vitamin B, and omega-3 fatty acids — linked to calming down anxiety. Avocado and eggs are a good solution.”
8. You force yourself to get at the crack of the dawn
Another injustice we often do in the name of discipline is to wake at the crack of the dawn. To wake at 4 or 5 am and to do crazy things to achieve your goals is the worst idea.
If you are a morning person and love to wake up; it is best. But if you are forcing yourself, you do it wrong that cost you your day by stressing you.
James Routledge, the founder of Santus, a mental health organization, says:
“I’m not a fan of the five things you need to do before 5 am every day. I believe we have to be kind to ourselves and create our own morning routines that work for us. Everyone’s different: if you’re a morning person, maybe 7 am sun salutations are a good thing. If you love a lie-in, maybe an 8 am alarm followed by Good Morning Britain is good for you. There’s no silver bullet or right or wrong, it’s about what works for you.”
9. You let external sources influence your day
Whenever we wake up, we don’t think of our inner self but about other things, and they are often unimportant. We let the trends, the social media, the surrounding, and others’ expectations set our day.
Avoiding biases, expectations, and undue interference in other’s life can improve the quality of our life.
According to life coach, Tee Twyford, who is the founder of hustle + hush:
“One of the biggest mistakes we make in the morning is to allow external sources to influence our day before we’ve had a chance to listen to our own inner voice. I’m not even talking about our partner, family, or flatmates — as most of us will reach for our phones and check our WhatsApp messages, inboxes, social media newsfeeds, and news alerts before we acknowledge the person next to us. All of which means, before we’ve even checked in with ourselves and what we might need, we’ve opened up the floodgates of a very noisy world.”
10. You plan your workday in the morning
Keeping a to-do list and planning one’s workday might be a good thing and will work better for many, but not for all of us. Whether you make a literal or mental plan for your day but doing it in the morning can stress you by wasting your precious time.
The best strategy is, as discussed earlier, to plan everything the night before. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and you will wake up stress-free as you would have prepared yourself for tomorrow.
Dannielle Haig, a psychologist, also believes that:
“The most effective time to plan your day is the night before because it enables you to park your work for the day enhancing a positive work-life balance. If you write your list whilst everything is fresh in your mind at the end of the day and then you can rest knowing you have tomorrow set to handle whatever you need to get done. It gives you a sense of control and contentment making your recovery time-effective.”
Final thoughts
Morning is the best of times. One should get the best of it, as it sets your day on the path of success or failure, depending on your morning routines. Sometimes, we habitually do certain things that ruin our day that we aren’t aware of even, such as reaching out for our cell phone first in the morning and checking it for notifications and news.
Lack of preparation before morning also stresses us. The best strategy is to be prepared for tomorrow. Don’t leave things unresolved until morning.
When we should have already started our day, we waste our time on planning and arranging things. And that’s cost us our health and productivity.
Not keeping health as a priority and worrying about things before they actually happen stress us a lot.
So, don’t get to bed tonight unless you are prepared for tomorrow. Because tomorrow is for those who are prepared for it beforehand.
“Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.” — Richard Whately
