Morning anxiety is one of the worst feelings in the world. It can be illogical and irrational, and set you up to have a bad, anxiety-ridden day. However, the right morning routine can make all the difference. It might not be a cure-all, but incorporating certain steps into your morning can help soothe your nervous system, calm your mind, and reduce your feelings of anxiety, preparing you for the day ahead.
Here’s how to create the best morning routine to reduce anxiety.
What to Know Before Creating a Morning Routine to Reduce Anxiety
Some people are naturally morning people. You know the ones. They kick off their covers and jump into the day without a second thought. The birds are singing, the sun is out, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky.
For a morning person, that is.
But if you’re not a morning person, then you might not benefit from a get-up-and-go morning routine. In fact, that might put you on the path directly to morning routine failure. Here are some things to consider before creating a morning routine.
How Much Time Do You Have?
How much time you have in the morning will depend on your lifestyle. If you’re a busy parent, you may only have ten minutes to spare before the school run. If you have an early commute at 7 AM, then you may be looking at an extra 20 minutes, and if you work from home, you may be able to allocate a full 30 minutes to one hour for your morning routine.
However much time you have to spare in the morning, your morning routine needs to fit neatly into that.
The Easier it is, the More Likely You Are to Stick to It
You don’t have to make your morning routine complicated. Influencer culture may have led us to believe that a morning routine is only worth it if you’re up at five and at the gym by five thirty. But contrary to the endless wellness videos that populate your TikTok and Instagram feed, you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. You also don’t have to down that 30-ingredient smoothie or take a hundred supplements. (But if you do want to incorporate smoothies and supplements into your morning routine, then go for it!)
The point of a morning routine is to set you up for the day. The more steps you have, the more complicated a morning routine becomes. Focus on making it as simple and easy as possible with minimal steps, especially if this is your first time creating a morning routine or if you’ve struggled to stick to one in the past.
It Might Be Trial and Error
The truth is, what works for one person won’t necessarily work for you. But you might not know what works for you unless you try it out. Who knows, maybe pilates before 8 AM is the thing that’s missing from your day? Or maybe taking ten minutes to spend time on something you love is more your style. The point is, you won’t know until you try.
And if something doesn’t work out? That’s fine — just try something else. If you’re having a hard time sticking to your morning routine, then it might not be because you’re not a morning person. Instead, it might be because of the steps that make up your morning routine. Swapping things out can help you find a routine you’ll genuinely look forward to each day.
[Image Source: Canva.]
Morning Routine to Reduce Anxiety: Ideas
Use the Bathroom
The first thing you should do when you wake up is use the bathroom. What you do in there is up to you — whether that’s completing your skincare routine or having a full-blown everything shower. Get water on your skin, brush your teeth, get dressed — anything that makes you feel awake, refreshed, and grounded.
Drink a Glass of Water
There’s a reason this tip is recommended for every single morning routine. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning is good for you. It’ll help you feel more refreshed, get rid of any toxins, and wake your body up. Plus, the more water we drink, the better we feel, which is a huge win when it comes to anxiety.
Get 5 Minutes of Sun
Look… we’re not saying to get up at 5 AM and go for a two-hour jog. (We’re not crazy!) We know you have a life and, well, we know how hard it is to make yourself do anything when anxiety is high. But getting outside for five minutes and feeling some sun on your face can do wonders for negative feelings.
We’re not just yapping here — the science backs this up, too. Sunlight exposure has been known to increase the release of serotonin, which can help you feel calm, focused, and grounded. Plus, the sun also has a range of other benefits, such as preventing cancer (but don’t forget to wear your sunscreen, folks!), building strong bones, and healing skin conditions.
Morning Pages
If you have a bit more time to spare in the morning, then morning pages might be for you. This is where you sit down, grab your fancy journal (or a spare piece of printed paper — who are we to judge?), and dump out all your thoughts onto the page. The logic behind this is simple:
- It gets out all your negative worries and thoughts straight away.
- It removes creative blocks.
The sweet spot for morning pages is 3 (as outlined by The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron), but when you’re just starting off, we recommend writing however much you feel like writing. No pressure.
10 — 15 Minute Meditation
Meditation is another tried and tested tip for dealing with anxiety, so it’s no wonder that we’re including it on our list. Meditation is great for anxiety. When we’re anxious, we’re so in our heads that we often don’t even feel like we’re in our own bodies anymore. But meditation grounds you; it gently brings you back to the present and immediately calms you. Box breathing meditations are particularly good when you’re having panic attacks.
However, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding meditation out there. Now, you don’t have to sit for an hour and try to clear your mind of all thoughts. It’s actually completely natural and normal to let thoughts come and go while you’re meditating.
Sit for 10 to 15 minutes (or even 5), and just breathe. If you’re a complete beginner and you’re not sure where to start, look up guided meditations. There are a lot of apps out there to try. Our favorite is Insight Timer because the majority of meditations are free and super helpful.
Deep Breathing
Didn’t we mention breathing in the previous section? You may not want to commit to a full meditation, but a few seconds of deep breathing can help ground you when you have anxiety or you’re suffering from anxious thoughts.
Take a few minutes in the morning to follow this simple deep breathing technique:
- Breathe in for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for four seconds.
- Breathe out for six seconds.
This will help you feel more grounded. Repeat the technique as many times as you need to.
Eat Breakfast
Eating breakfast in the morning is a great way to give you the fuel and nourishment your body needs. However, if you suffer from morning anxiety, you may find it hard to eat. You don’t have to adopt overnight oats or granola bowls, and you don’t have to whip up some avocado eggs on toast. Eat what feels comfortable, even if it’s just a single banana.
Having something, even if it’s small, will help line your stomach and give you the energy you need to face the day ahead.
Get Moving
Again, we’re not suggesting a 5 AM jog, but getting your body moving in the morning is a fantastic way to relieve extra anxiety from waking up. This could be as simple as an early morning walk around the block or your nearest park, or even some light stretching.
If you do feel up to more, then taking an exercise class in the morning is a fantastic way to get out of your head, get your body moving, and even make new friends.
[Image Source: Canva.]
The Don’ts of a Morning Routine to Reduce Anxiety
Morning routines aren’t just about incorporating new things into the start of the day. You might find that you have some harmful habits that are increasing your anxiety in the morning. Here are some of our top tips to keep it zen.
Don’t Check Your Phone 1st Thing
Maybe this is a controversial one, but checking your phone can skyrocket your anxiety. Yes, really! This is especially true if the first thing you do is check your work inbox or tasks for the day. You need to give your mind the chance to wake up before you get into focus mode.
And even if you’re not checking for work-related things, scrolling on your phone can still have an effect on your mental health. Look at it this way: do you really want to be bombarded first thing with news stories, doom and gloom, and snapshots of other people’s perfect lives? Nope. You need to focus on you — not the things that might be contributing to your anxiety.
Don’t Ignore Your Alarm and Go Back to Sleep
We get that it’s totally tempting to ignore your alarm, pull the covers over your head, and go straight back to dreamland. But ignoring your alarm is a big no-no if you want to banish morning anxiety. In fact, missing your alarm and not starting the day when you planned to might actually lead to even more anxiety and create a snowball effect of panic. It’s best to get up and get started, even though it sometimes feels impossible.
Don’t Feel Pressured To Do Everything
When it comes to adopting a morning routine to reduce anxiety, you may be tempted to try to stuff as many activities as possible into your morning. But that just might not be realistic. You might only have time for a few things, whether that’s five minutes of meditation and breakfast or a shower and some journaling.
The point is, don’t feel pressured to add a whole lot of steps into your morning routine when you know you don’t have time for them. Instead, pick one or two you know you can stick to.
Do What Works For You
The best way of sticking to a morning routine is by delicately choosing steps that work for you. This means things that are easy and things that you enjoy. There’s no point committing to a half-hour run every morning if you hate the idea of running. It’s just not sustainable. Pick things that make you feel good, refreshed, and, most importantly, calm so that you’re ready to take on your day.
And if you’ve adopted a morning routine and you’re still feeling anxious? Check out this article on “Will My Anxiety Ever Go Away?”
Summing It Up
Finding a morning routine that works can be hard, and when you have anxiety, it’s even harder. But don’t let that discourage you. For many people, a good morning routine doesn’t have to encapsulate fifty million steps or a hundred hoops to jump through. You can leave the green smoothies and hour-long jogs at the door. The important thing is finding what feels good and calms your nervous system, so you can take on the day ahead.
One comment on “The Best Morning Routine To Reduce Anxiety”