7 ways to have a good morning

It’s those first few crucial waking hours that can set the tone for your whole day. A bad morning creates a bad mood. On the other hand, a good morning full of inspiring, energy-fueling activities can turn you into a superhero!

With these seven tips, you can invest in the most important part of your day. After all, a good day starts with a good morning.

Plan Ahead the Night Before

Whatever your trouble areas are in the morning, see how much confusion you can eliminate the night before. For example, if you spend part of your morning just staring at your closet wondering what to wear, you can do pick out your clothes before you go to bed. Make a schedule for who will walk the dog or make breakfast, so that there’s no debate about it in the morning. Plan ahead as much as possible for a morning that, if all goes well, can run like clockwork.

Wake Up Earlier

The best mornings for me are always the ones where I’ve gotten up early. You can’t do much of anything if you wake up 30 minutes before you need to be out the door. When you cut your mornings short, you rush. Everything is a mad scramble from getting the kids on the bus to getting yourself showered and dressed. By the time you make it to work, you’ll be an exhausted mess. So, give your morning some breathing room. Wake up earlier and enjoy the beginning of a new day.

Wake Up to Pleasant Sounds

Whoever thought that the blaring of an alarm clock beeping loudly into your subconscious was the best way to wake up was wrong. A good morning starts with waking up gently and serenely, and that has a lot to do with those first early morning sounds.

Through repetition (and perhaps a few backup alarms until you get the hang of it), you can train your body to wake up to the sound of anything. Find sounds that soothe you: wind chimes, bells or your favorite music. For example, I found the classical music station on my clock radio and set my alarm to play that every day at six in the morning. Eventually, the soft noises of Bach and Beethoven were my signal to wake up even from the deepest sleep.

Meditate and Pray

Find a place in your home that’s quiet and free of needless distractions (and it can’t be your bed, because you’ll just fall back asleep). Read something inspirational and then think about it in the stillness.

Take a deep breath. Then take another.

Every morning can be this calm when your first decision of the day is to be at peace.

Exercise

We all know physical activity is important for your health, but not everyone can find time to fit it in. By going for a run or hitting the gym in the morning, you’ve already crossed that off your list before the day’s activities crowd it out.

Also, pushing yourself physically in the morning puts you in a winner’s frame of mind for the rest of the day. When you’ve worked up a good sweat and stretched your limits, you feel more confident that you can handle anything that comes your way.

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Eat Breakfast

Just think about it: a hearty omelet, sizzling bacon, a bowl of crisp cereal, fluffy pancakes, a rich cup of coffee, a tall glass of orange juice… Aren’t your taste buds watering? Of course, they are. It’s breakfast! It’s the first meal of the day and it’s also the most important.

I’m talking about a real breakfast – not just a cup of coffee or a doughnut. When you take time to eat a well balanced meal, you are giving your body fuel for the morning. Plus, you’re less likely to binge at lunch or snack mindlessly throughout your day.

It’s also sets a good example for your children. Eating together in the morning leads to more family time, and you’re setting your kids up to perform better in school.

Kiss Your Loved Ones

The hug and kiss I got from my mother every day before I went to school still warms my heart today. Even on the days I didn’t appreciate it, I believe the act sunk down into my spirit; I knew I was loved.

Be liberal with your affection. Don’t let anyone in your household walk out the door without knowing they are special.

This doesn’t just apply to those of you with immediate family members in your homes. If you live alone, take a moment to send a quick “thinking of you” email. Call a friend on their work phone, so he or she arrives to the office with a pleasant voicemail.

Do something every day that shows someone else that you care. You will be a part of their good morning and brighten the rest of their day.

Jennifer E. Jones is the Inspiration Editor who can finally call herself “a morning person”.

Article courtesy of Beliefnet.com. Beliefnet offers daily inspiration with news articles on faith, religion, politics, health, family entertainment, sustainable living and more.