10 Toxic Morning Habits That You Should Stop ASAP! (They Keep Ruining Your Whole Day!)
How successful and productive you will be during the day is determined by your morning routine and the morning habits you continuously practice. But with some of our behaviors, it is really simple to sabotage this fresh start.
I guess what is popping up in your mind – those fitness models showing off their carefree morning rituals that like scenes from a storybook, evoke jealousy in all of us. They all seem to have no flaws or mistakes in their routine and morning habits. We then decided to give it a shot.
The truth is that you wake up feeling drowsy and exhausted, with no desire to do anything other than snooze the alarm and go back to sleep. Yeah, I know how you feel!
But it can all change once you do this important thing first. Identify your toxic morning habits!
Here are the 9 possible toxic pre-morning and morning habits you probably tend to do often and consistently not even realizing some of them!
1. Going to sleep after midnight and waking up late
This is probably one of the most common toxic pre-morning habits!
All of us have been there. We seriously adore reading through social media right before bed, consuming hundreds of different bits of information in a matter of seconds while claiming that we are relaxing. However, we are actually straining ourselves even more, making it more difficult for our bodies to gradually unwind and get ready for a good night’s sleep.
Some studies show that not using your phone at least an hour before going to bed helps with reducing sleep latency, decreasing pre-sleep arousal and sleep delay, increasing sleep duration, and improving working memory. It’s a harmless, and hardly-breaking habit we all are prone to, but not impossible to overcome!
What you could do instead…
It may be challenging at first, but try. For 2 nights. Put your phone on airplane mode or totally turn it off so that you don’t get tempted to grab it. There are plenty of things you can do after disconnecting from the enticing world of social media.
Have you considered journaling your thoughts in the morning or before bed, turning on the radio instead of Spotify, and glancing at the moon and stars for some time?
Recapitulate the day, and reflect on the things you forgot to be grateful for… you can do all of it, even without starting excessively overthinking, and putting pressure on your mind just before going to bed.
2. Going on social media/reading the news immediately after waking up
Assuming that you always receive new messages from friends, business emails, interminably getting notifications from your daily to-do list, and other things that cause stress and worry, checking your phone as soon as you get up might not be the best way to start your day. It may even start being hazardous for mental health if it has been repeated for a great deal of time, and has become a steady habit.
Due to the constant barrage of notifications from 50 different sources, checking your phone first thing in the morning to see what’s new on Instagram and the top three breaking news stories worldwide sets the tone for the rest of the day’s anxiety and stress.
The hardest thing is that we are so ingrained and programmed into that habit. It may even seem impossible to break. And it will indeed be impossible to break if you don’t strictly, determinedly decide that things need to change as soon as possible. Only your strong willingness can get you out of the seemingly adamantine chains of social media.
Think of it… do you really want to be bombarded with so much negativity, and negative vibes, with a sense of foreboding while you’re reading the news, or a FOMO when checking your friend’s posts on Instagram? Yea, I don’t think it’s worth it.
Being informed about some important things going on in the world is good, but being overwhelmed and bombarded by them is a problem, I think. Nowadays, wherever you go, people are always talking about the latest worldwide news, complaining, and getting angry, so you also get drowned by the negative energy they’re projecting.
What you could do instead…
Again, think of it. What do you get from it?
Seriously, nothing more than anxiety, stress, and even more negative energy. Consequences? You’re anxious, unfocused, have nightmares, lost a sense of purpose, and can’t properly do anything.
You may have read advice to put your phone across the room, and that should help you not be tempted to grab it. Personally, I tried and it didn’t work for me🤣. What truly worked instead was buying an alarm clock and placing your phone in a different room while you’re sleeping. When your phone is out of reach, you can turn the alarm off!
Disconnect. Protect your peace. You won’t lose anything if you don’t get informed right off the bat. Just breathe. Just relax, it’ll be okay (yeah, T. Swift reference again😉)
3. Going to business mode immediately
If you don’t wake up properly, jump from theta to alpha and beta brain wave states – immediately going into business mode, checking your emails, customer reviews, your bank account… c’mon…
Mornings are for mornings, for connecting with yourself, with nature, engaging in the here and now, letting go of everything else, of all the responsibilities just for a couple of minutes – that’s why waking up at 5/6 AM will give you the precious time you need for spirituality and self-care.
You have all the serenity and peace while your neighbors are mostly still asleep. We didn’t come here just to work all the time. We came here to live, not to just survive.
What you could do instead…
- do some stretching/yoga,
- listen to motivational videos,
- GET OUT OF THE HOUSE – feel the grass touching your feet, look at the bright blue sky, at sunrise, listen to birds chirping, feel the wind touch your skin, and play with your hair.
- journal your thoughts…
Work can always wait, getting back time doesn’t work.
4. Not practicing Mindful meditation
Activate your senses and take in all that is around you. Smell every flower, take in the sounds of the surrounding nature, and watch and hear every bird flying in the clear blue sky. Put all of your focus on the here and now. That is not something I believe I can experience when meditating indoors or engaging in any type of relaxation technique.
Nothing can replace the feeling of oneness, freshness, and life that nature gives. That’s why I always prefer to use the beautiful weather in the spring and summer!
Lay out the picnic blanket in your backyard, lay down, feel that grassy field beneath, soak in the sunlight a little bit, and breathe calmly. To identify how you can alter your perception of a scenario to locate the positive aspects and find positive things in everything, connect to your breath as you observe your inner conversation.
Just you and lively nature, away from all the distractions and chaos that other people are projecting on us. And you can reap its advantages without going into a forest.
You can quiet your body and mind by standing next to a tree, looking at the flower’s beauty, or going barefoot in a backyard. But just be there.
5. Not planning your day the day before
In order to experience more flow and anxiety-relieving morning, you need to plan and schedule the priorities and all the tasks the day before.
Imagine waking up in the morning already overslept, and suddenly anxiety strikes you because you don’t know what you need to do, what to do first, what your priorities are, and what to leave for later.
That’s how even 2 hours can pass just making the plans for the day ahead. A lot can be done in that 2-hour window, so don’t waste your time!
What you could do instead…
Since I’m obsessed with aesthetic things and everything I do needs to be in rainbow colors and shades so that I’ll stay interested in a subject, I make my own Notion schedulers and daily planners, and strongly suggest you do too!
In my opinion, it is the best app EVER for anything literally! You can use it to write your school/business notes, plan your day, as a wellness notebook, literally whatever, along with adorn it with many colors, images, and other features!
6. Do you know what coffee actually does to your body in the morning?
Coffee is such a widely consumed beverage that in certain nations, it is only consumed slightly less than water! Even though the sweet taste of coffee in the morning is tempting, coffee actually tends to increase your cortisol levels! It is also known as the “alertness hormone,”, and can make you more awake and aware, but also agitated and anxious! According to Healthline, there’s also a risk of producing more acid in the stomach.
As a result, many individuals think that coffee irritates the stomach, makes the symptoms of gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) worse, and contributes to heartburn, ulcers, nausea, acid reflux, and indigestion.
Some claim that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is especially dangerous because there is nothing else to prevent the acid from harming your stomach lining.
According to Dr. Breus, a sleep doctor, since sleeping is our dehydrative mode and we lose almost a liter of water every night – before consuming any other liquid, it is recommended to first consume 20 to 30 ounces of room-temperature water!
I’ve never been an obsessive coffee drinker, nor has it ever been necessary for my day to run smoothly. But, all of my friends literally can not live without coffee! Especially in the morning to get their sleepy, groggy mind into action and business mode! They’re always surprised at how I can function with so much energy without drinking a sip of coffee – well, I guess I’m just extremely disciplined!😆
7. Not spending time in nature
Just imagine… there’s a gentle breeze blowing through your hair, the first sunrays of the day are laying down on your skin… You can hear the birds chirping around… All that while looking at a glorious, light that shines through the white clouds, signaling the start of a new day!
I always notice a drastic difference whenever I skip a „morning in the nature“ day and decide to just do my whole morning routine at home (yeah it even happens to the most disciplined ones, not a big deal!).
Many people like the peacefulness of spending leisure time in nature to minimize or eliminate the tension and tiredness of daily duties. Your spirits will be much lifted, your mood, motivation, and inspiration will be elevated, and you’ll experience peace and calmness when you meditate in that ethereal, endless beauty of nature first thing in the morning.
I know it’ll be challenging at first to start waking up earlier but start slow and steady. You don’t have to get it all done immediately. Just start. I know it all seems kind of daunting and demanding to adjust to, but baby steps are crucial!
8. Not ventilating your house
Homes need to be able to breathe like lungs to ensure that clean air enters and stale, polluted air exits, and we often underestimate or totally forget to do one of the essential things.
When ventilation is poor, allergens like pollen, dust, and other irritants can accumulate and become trapped inside a home.
Large particles and dust will be removed from the air thanks to the help of proper ventilation. This can significantly improve the comfort of the indoor air for allergy patients by substantially reducing allergy symptoms.
9. Messy Room Leads To A Messy Mind!
Emotional clutter can develop in your mind as a result of physical clutter in your living area. That’s definitely something I finally realized after being too lazy to declutter my room and help get my mind in order.
Don’t ever underestimate the cleanness of the space you work in and spend the most time in. Your mind can easily get distracted and overwhelmed with all the mess around!
Even just making slight decoration changes or position alternatives boosted my creativity enormously. I don’t know if it’s the common thing, or I just function that way, but unless I clear out my space and make some changes in my room, I won’t be as productive as I potentially can be.
Also, your anxiety level and sleep habits can be impacted by clutter, which can then have an impact on your level of productivity and focus. It may feel liberating and energizing to declutter a bit!
Believe me, for example, buying a new house plant once a month, placing your souvenirs at a different place, and changing the curtains to refresh the vibe. It doesn’t matter strictly what you do as long as you do something.
When my floors, shelves, desks, and windows are clean, I feel such a sense of accomplishment and ease! Like the whole world weight just got off my shoulders, and I then have more motivation to focus on my daily schedule!
10. Complaining about your life
This is also probably one of the most common toxic morning habits!
Just don’t be one of those people who always act like they got up on the left foot, and simply everything gets on their nerves. Complaining about how hard, complicated, and challenging your life is won’t help you change it, but even bury you deeper in the trap of negative energy.
Feelings of dissatisfaction are common; we believe our lives are lacking in certain ways and incomplete. In these circumstances, it is simple to assess yourself as inadequate in comparison to the seemingly perfect lives of others.
What you could do instead…
Focus on gratitude. As simple as that. Having gratitude makes it easier for people to experience more positive feelings, enjoy pleasant memories, take better care of themselves, overcome obstacles, and forge close bonds with others.
Start with a gratitude list of even the smallest things you have in your life now. Express deep gratitude for having them. Realize how lucky you are to wake up in a cozy bed every morning, to have a fireplace to keep you warm during the cold wintertime, for the delicious food you have in the fridge… And even express gratitude and appreciation for the beautiful weather outside! Just look at that beauty! It’s mesmerizing, right???
The beauty is truly in those small things no matter how overused that phrase is and how cliche it may sound.
When you start naming everything, it will feel like there is no end to it. And, that’s the moment when you’ll realize how lucky you are and how you should never waste a second of your life making excuses and finding flaws in everything you look at.
One more thing I practice and strongly recommend…
Instant changes won’t happen overnight. That’s for sure. What you can do to accelerate the process of living a healthier and more fulfilling life is to set a strong intention and realize how enormously crucial are the mornings – your thoughts right when you wake up, and what you do in those early hours.
Habits you practice in the morning hours will most definitely set the tone for the rest of your day.
Be determined and practice. Practice. Practice. Track your success. I strongly recommend making a simple Notion template called “My Morning Routine” and adding all the things on the list you wish to complete that will make your healthy, ideal morning. Come back to it every day and track your progress. Maybe, as in my case, the aesthetic of the Notion templates you can make can motivate you more and inspire you!
As days go by, you’ll notice gradual positive changes and improvements in not just your morning atmosphere, and morning habits, but in the rest of your day!
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DISCLAIMER! I do not own the photo on this post. Special thanks to https://kaboompics.com/ for the beautiful photo!
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