Mornings. Some people love them, and some people hate them. Some people find peace and beauty throughout the morning, and for others, morning hits them like a brick and they find themselves unable to turn on their brains until their first cup of coffee? I’m willing to admit that mornings and I aren’t the most compatible. By that I mean that we go together like ice cream and pickles. Now do you get what I’m saying? But hey, everyone has to deal with mornings, so the only thing I can do is find little ways to make the early hours of my days easier. So, which person are you? If you’re the, “mornings and I have a difficult relationship at the moment,” kind of person- then this article is for you. Here is a list of some of my favorite tips to make mornings a little more bearable.

1. The Easier the Night, the Easier the Morning

The calmer your nights are, the easier it will be getting up in the morning. Pretty simple, right? Now of course if you’ve just had a large party one night the morning after may not be the easiest; that’s not exactly something you can entirely control. But, there are some ways to fix a normal night at home in order to make the next morning easier.

First, turn off all technology at least an hour before you plan on going to bed. Having screentime before you go to bed makes you a restless sleeper throughout the night, therefore making it harder for you to get up the next morning. Next, try and have a set “calming down time” before you actually try and fall asleep. You could use your hour of “no screentime” to listen to relaxing music, taking a shower, coloring/drawing/painting, reading a book, or even lying outside. Lastly, try and set goals for yourself of everything you want to get done before you go to bed. Most importantly, try and accomplish those goals. That way you won’t lay in bed feeling guilty and anxious about the things you never did. (You can also include things like planning your outfit or packing your lunch to your list of goals to accomplish before you fall asleep in order to decrease the amount of tasks to complete in the morning.)

2. Try and Avoid Conflict With Your Alarm

The earlier you fall asleep, the earlier you’ll wake up. But sometimes an “early night” isn’t always the case and an alarm is much needed. The biggest piece of advice I can give to you (regarding your alarm clock) is to avoid the snooze button. First of all, it does nothing other than drag you back into sleep and pulls you farther and farther away from starting your day. It can also be really easy to lose track of time when hitting the snooze. Also, using the snooze button of falling asleep in between beeps just doesn’t make us feel good either. Of course you’re going to have a raging headache in the morning after you just fell asleep and were woken up 10 times within the last hour! So again, avoid the snooze button at all costs. Believe me, it feels so much better to be able to ease into the morning rather than having to run around in order to be ready on time.

3. Get Moving

It can be really easy to not want to do anything right after you get out of bed, but if you make it your mission to do something right after you get out of bed, then the rest of your morning chores will happen naturally and a bit more easily. A few examples of things you can do to start your day off right could be making your bed right away, meditating, yoga, and even going on a quick walk or a run. You’d be amazed how increasingly motivated you’ll feel in the morning just by adding a quick activity into your daily routine.

4. Create a Morning Routine for Yourself

If you wake up with a mental note of everything you have to get done in the morning, then you’ll feel more prepared waking up. Your “morning routine” can be as specific as you need it to be. Include things like “make the bed”, “take a shower”, “pack a lunch”, etc. This list will help you get through the morning while forgetting as few things as possible!

5. Discipline Yourself

There are some days where you have to get out of bed on time (whether it’s for a meeting, school, appointment, etc.). But on the days when you feel like you wouldn’t really be hurting anyone if you stayed in bed all day- don’t! Try and get yourself out of bed early even on the days when you don’t have any responsibilities or tasks. Just force yourself and motivate yourself to get out of bed regardless of what you have planned for the day. It’s best to keep a consistent sleep schedule every day in order to make the days when you have to get up earlier a little easier.

6. Treat Yourself for Breakfast

One of my favorite things to do in the morning is to have an exciting breakfast. For example, smoothies, coffee, fruit, and pancakes are some of my breakfast favorites. Sometimes we don’t always have time for a super extravagant breakfast but that doesn’t mean you can’t meals that are more exciting than the cereal that’s been sitting in your pantry the whole school year. Try and have snacks set aside specifically for those days when you’re running low on time. You could even pack a breakfast the night before if you find yourself having a really hard time sneaking this meal in. Breakfast is so important for your body and your attitude and it will definitely affect how you feel throughout the day.

Now I’m not saying that these tips will instantly turn you into a morning person (let’s face it-some people were just not meant to wake up with the sun), but I do believe that becoming a morning person is obtainable. All it takes is some determination, self-discipline, and hard work. (Oh, and some caffeinated coffee may help too!)