Improving Mornings

[JimC]

Around the middle of the day, after being active for a few hours, I am motivated and exciting about life. Basically I make personal growth plans and work on my life changing goals.

But in the mornings, it's just the opposite. I wake up and think, "it's all useless, why do I waste my time- I'll never meet these goals."

I never have problems waking up and I always get 6-8 hours of sleep every night. I exercise and eat [somewhat] healthy. Yet I still have these dream breakers every mornings.

How can I get rid of this morning negativity? It's not something I want to wake up to.

[littledevil1908]

i have the same exact thing, even when i am perfectly healthy. i think it's just natural to be depressed right when you get out of bed, unless you have gotten a full day's rest, which means you literally can't sleep anymore. cuz even when i get 7 1/2 hours of sleep, i just want to stay in bed and hate life when i get out of bed. the feeling usually goes away about an hour or 2 after i've woken up, gradually.

[Peter S C]

That's funny, because that feeling you described of being motivated and excited about life is how I feel in the morning. Personally, I think it is important to have a morning routine that you enjoy and that sets you up for a great day -physically, mentally and spiritually.

If you are wondering what sorts of things to do as part of a morning routine, check out this article I wrote: 10 Ways to Give Your Morning a Makeover

[Marco Polo]

Yes, the morning is a very important time. It is during those first couple of hours that we "set the tone" for the rest of our day. If you have a good morning, there will be a snowball effect and you'll usually end up having a good day as well. I'm trying very hard to establish a good morning routine (although I'm having trouble disciplining myself). However, it's also good to be a little spontaneous and not get too ingrained in a single rountine. The link in the post above mine is full of good ideas, although I'd add one more thing to it: taking a cold shower. This is an excellent way to start the day (if you can muster up the courage).

[Ali from The Office Diet]

Like Peter, I wake up bouncy and enthusiastic about my goals! The depression sets in mid-afternoon...

I wonder if it's purely that different people have "spikes" of energy at different times? Can you work around yours by giving yourself time to wake up gradually, maybe read or listen to something motivating, or do some journalling, before getting into the day?

Ali

[Marco Polo]

Originally Posted by Ali from The Office Diet

Can you work around yours by giving yourself time to wake up gradually, maybe read or listen to something motivating, or do some journalling, before getting into the day?

aerobic exercise + a cold shower + reading some PD material = an unbeatable combination.

[justfiverules]

Hello JimC,

In "Useless mode" I sometimes play with fun wee distractions like:

- clean my teeth holding the brush in my other hand :-)

- write a few sentences with my weaker hand (an affirmation or some prose I like).

Another one that can be a wonderful yet gentle booster involves creating a mild trance state. Naturally, only use this where it is safe to do so i.e. not while driving or operating dangerous machinery and other potential dangerous activities.

I've used it while standing on a busy Tokyo train holding onto the hanging strap for balance. Takes me about 10 minutes to 'zone out'.
This Betty Erickson exercise is one of my favorites.
Ericksonian Info - Therapeutic Scripts - Self Hypnosis - The Betty Erickson Special

(note - I am just a layperson at this and you should do your own research before proceeding. Works for me!)

[JimC]

Thanks everyone. All good and unique ideas.

Shower and coffee doesn't cut it, maybe I need to do some morning jogs or something. I do most of my exercise around noon.

[Amandaaa]

How can I get rid of this morning negativity? It's not something I want to wake up to.

^I have the same problem.

Luckily, I have no reason to wake up before 10 or 11 AM. My work, school, studying, social obligations, workout classes, and other commitments all take place later in the day. ...But if I have to wake up early, for whatever reason, then there are a few things that I have to do to ensure that I don't wake up with a suicidal attitude.

#1) Go to sleep early and get some deep sleep. (i.e., if I want to wake up at 6 AM, I have to fall asleep by 8 or 9:00 PM. Ironically, if I go to sleep later in the night and wake up later in the day, my body doesn't require as much sleep. but in order to be chipper at sunrise, I need at least 9 hours of REM.)

#2) Go to sleep with a light stomach. (If I go to bed full, I always wake up feeling miserable and listless. I can't eat a heavy dinner, and I have to stop eating 1-2 hours before getting in bed.)

#3) Exercise the evening before. (I've noticed that if I do toning/flexibility & strength exercises before going to bed, I always feel more energized when I wake up the next morning).

#4) Use a CD player or iPod alarm clock. (There's nothing that makes me more hostile than the sound of that beeping alarm clock that keeps getting louder and louder with every second. hahha. It's better to wake up to the sound of your favorite upbeat song than a blaring alarm clock. )

#5) Do some stretching when you wake up. (Self-explanatory. Helps get the oxygen flowing.)

#6) Start the day off with a smoothie. (Nothing cheers me up like a fresh fruit smoothie. Bananas + berries = serotonin, which I really need in the morning.)

#7) Take your vitamins/minerals/supplements. (If you take anything for nutritional reasons, then make sure that you take them before starting your day. I take Isotonix, which goes right into the bloodstream and helps with circulation. It has vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin B, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and some other stuff- which lifts my mood and helps me focus throughout the day.)

#8) Get fresh air and natural sunlight. (This is something that I don't even think about, because my house has always been very bright and open. But if you live in a place without a lot of windows, then try to spend a few minutes outside before you immediately throw yourself into the hustle of your daily work routine.)


...Those are the best tips that I can think of, excluding the use of drugs.
Good luck!

[JimC]

Very good suggestions...

I require a full night of deep sleep. I go to bed about 11pm and wake up around 6-8am. I do most of my exercise early on. And I don't use alarms, unless my cat jumps on my face.

All of the stuff you mentioned are pretty different from what I normally do. I'll have to try some.

[martin]

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

^I have the same problem.

Luckily, I have no reason to wake up before 10 or 11 AM. My work, school, studying, social obligations, workout classes, and other commitments all take place later in the day. ...But if I have to wake up early, for whatever reason, then there are a few things that I have to do to ensure that I don't wake up with a suicidal attitude.

#1) Go to sleep early and get some deep sleep. (i.e., if I want to wake up at 6 AM, I have to fall asleep by 8 or 9:00 PM. Ironically, if I go to sleep later in the night and wake up later in the day, my body doesn't require as much sleep. but in order to be chipper at sunrise, I need at least 9 hours of REM.)

#2) Go to sleep with a light stomach. (If I go to bed full, I always wake up feeling miserable and listless. I can't eat a heavy dinner, and I have to stop eating 1-2 hours before getting in bed.)

#3) Exercise the evening before. (I've noticed that if I do toning/flexibility & strength exercises before going to bed, I always feel more energized when I wake up the next morning).

#4) Use a CD player or iPod alarm clock. (There's nothing that makes me more hostile than the sound of that beeping alarm clock that keeps getting louder and louder with every second. hahha. It's better to wake up to the sound of your favorite upbeat song than a blaring alarm clock. )

#5) Do some stretching when you wake up. (Self-explanatory. Helps get the oxygen flowing.)

#6) Start the day off with a smoothie. (Nothing cheers me up like a fresh fruit smoothie. Bananas + berries = serotonin, which I really need in the morning.)

#7) Take your vitamins/minerals/supplements. (If you take anything for nutritional reasons, then make sure that you take them before starting your day. I take Isotonix, which goes right into the bloodstream and helps with circulation. It has vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin B, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and some other stuff- which lifts my mood and helps me focus throughout the day.)

#8) Get fresh air and natural sunlight. (This is something that I don't even think about, because my house has always been very bright and open. But if you live in a place without a lot of windows, then try to spend a few minutes outside before you immediately throw yourself into the hustle of your daily work routine.)


...Those are the best tips that I can think of, excluding the use of drugs.
Good luck!

Wow! Thanks!

[Amandaaa]

(yeah, I had way too much time on my hands the last time that I was perusing these forums...

...can you tell by the length of that reply? )


hah. hopefully it was helpful.

[babuji]

Awesome.. I like #4 and #8.. Will be using those recommendations and hoping it'll help jumpstart my mornings.

thanks.

[Fullcrum]

Amandaaa, that stuff's AWE$OME!

I'm using that. What workouts do you do the night before to ensure nice waking up? Do you think doing pushups or crunches would work as well as light aerobic exercise?

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by JimC

Around the middle of the day, after being active for a few hours, I am motivated and exciting about life. Basically I make personal growth plans and work on my life changing goals.

But in the mornings, it's just the opposite. I wake up and think, "it's all useless, why do I waste my time- I'll never meet these goals."

I never have problems waking up and I always get 6-8 hours of sleep every night. I exercise and eat [somewhat] healthy. Yet I still have these dream breakers every mornings.

How can I get rid of this morning negativity? It's not something I want to wake up to.

Your bodily state (including your state of mind) definitely influences your thinking (so I've found). At first I thought it was something to "fix" and focus on "fixing" but I found if I let it pass, it's usually all good soon enough.

One of the reasons I don't wake up feeling great is that my matress, bed, and pillow are godawful. Basically, that means I'm not getting very high quality sleep, so I'm not sleeping deeply, nor waking up feeling rested.

You may have a similar problem, and I encourage you to look outside of the personal dev. realm for a more practical issue. We often tend to blame ourselves or some sort of "problem" for the effects we experience, and while this is often the case, usually it's not helpful. It's usually more helpful to see what you can improve to get different results, rather then putting your focus on what is "wrong" (which may not be wrong) and trying to "fix" things that might not be broken.

[mlc82]

I think it's just called "not being a morning person". I'm the sort of the same way, but I despise waking up- I can stay up literally all night long without even noticing, but most of the time, no matter how much I sleep, I simply DO NOT want to wake up in the mornings. I can sleep for 9 hours and still feel like I want to sleep more, and I've tried sleeping in 3 hr intervals, waking up after 4 hrs, 6 hrs, 7 hrs, 9 hrs, as long as 12 hrs, you name it, I just do not like waking up. It drives my girlfriend nuts that I generally don't even like morning sex either- I feel the same way then that she does if I'm trying to wake her at 1am (she's a morning person, go figure), in that I'm just thinking "leave me alone and let me sleep!"

Once I'm going for the day I'm fine, but it usually takes me a good couple of hours to really clear my head in the morning. Strange isn't it?

[gettingskinny]

Originally Posted by Marco Polo

aerobic exercise + a cold shower + reading some PD material = an unbeatable combination.

ITA, now if I can make the time with a 4, 2 and 4 month old, and feel like I got enough sleep...that would be a miracle!