Let’s face it: we’re not all morning people, and some of us definitely wake up on the wrong side of the bed. But just because you wake up cranky doesn’t mean that you have to stay cranky for the rest of the day.
Today, I want to share 11 simple morning hacks that will help you stop morning crankiness and make you cheery the rest of the day.
I’m generally in a good mood when I wake up in the morning, but not every day. Some mornings I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation. No reason or rhyme to it. It just is.
If you have the morning grumpies, this is for you. If you have a family member who is the cranky one, show them this! Thank me later.
11 morning hacks to cheer you up
I hope these morning hacks help to make you a happier person when you wake up. Look, I get that mornings aren’t for everyone, but it’s up to you to try to start the day off right and not ruin everyone else’s day.
Just because you’re grumpy doesn’t mean the rest of the household has to be! That’s just not fair and not very nice either! Try these morning hacks and let me know if they work.
Gratitude Journaling
Begin your day by saying thank you for everything in life. Grab a journal and jot down at least three things you’re thankful for. It doesn’t have to be different every single day because every day, you can be grateful for your health, your family, or your job, and that can be enough.
You can also simply choose to be grateful for the morning sun, a warm cup of tea, or the love of family and friends. When we count our blessings and not our problems, this sets a positive tone for the day, reminding us of the beauty that surrounds us.
Mindful Breathing
Take a moment to just breathe. Close your eyes, take a deep breath in, and then exhale slowly. Feel the air entering your lungs and the stress leaving your body.
This practice helps center your mind, preparing you for a day of mindfulness and calm, inviting in a peaceful state of being. I always say ‘breathe in the good sh*t, breathe out the bad sh*t’.
It’s a great way to pause before you react or speak. Practice it daily and make it part of your morning routine.
Morning Stretches
Gentle stretches in the morning wake your body up gently and get that blood flowing. These stretches help with your physical and emotional well-being, getting you ready for what’s to lie ahead.
You can do stretches while you’re still lying in bed before you get up. You can do them before or after your exercise routine or your morning walk, but definitely incorporate them as part of your morning routine.
Meditation
Set aside a few minutes to meditate and find your inner peace. Focus on your breath, allowing your thoughts to drift away. This practice helps with mental clarity and emotional stability, ensuring you face the day with a tranquil mind.
If you include meditation in your daily habits, you will notice an improvement in how you handle emotions, in your overall thought process, and in the way you approach challenges that may arise throughout the day.
It’s really just a great way to ‘zen out’.
Healthy Breakfast
You are what you eat. How many times have you heard that? But listen, do you understand how true it is? Feed your body garbage food and sugar, and then listen to it and watch what happens, not only physically but mentally too.
Instead, start your day with a nutritious breakfast, rich in fibre, protein and healthy fats. When you’re hungry, you’re cranky. If you don’t start your day with a healthy, balanced breakfast, you’ll be irritable the rest of the day.
Bottoms up!
Before diving into the day’s activities, hydrate your body with a glass of water. This simple act rehydrates your system, aiding in digestion and promoting a healthy start to the day.
If you’re like most of us, you slumber over to the coffee maker and get that going without any regard to the fact that our bodies our dehydrated, which can lead to morning dehydration and crankiness.
Drink water while the coffee is brewing.
step away from your phone
Steer clear of your devices for the first hour of your day. It can take two seconds to get caught up in a toxic or negative thread, and that will ruin your whole day. While we love social media, it can sometimes cause anxiety and frustration.
Stay away from your phone!
Take a few minutes to calm your mind, crankiness, and possible anxiety before interacting with others in the household or on social media.
get outside
Step outside, breathe in the fresh air and soak up the beauty of nature. Whether it’s a walk in the garden or simply admiring the sunrise from the front porch, breathing in all that fresh air first thing in the morning lights up the soul and offers a peaceful start to your day.
No front porch or garden? Swing open those curtains and open that window! You can still take it all in from the comforts of your space.
They say fresh air does the mind and soul good, and they’re not wrong.
positive Affirmations
Yes, affirmations work if you use them and set the intention for them to work. Instead of groaning and moaning first thing in the morning, try smiling, saying thank you and then declaring ‘today is going to be great’!
You may not feel like reciting “today’s going to be a great day” when you’re cranky, but give it a go anyway and watch what happens. Eventually, you’ll believe it to be true.
Imagine if you just wake up every day and think ‘this sucks, life sucks, I hate my job, I hate my life, everything is sh*t’, I mean seriously, change that mindset.
Exercise
When we feel good on the outside, we can’t help but feel good on the inside, too. Now, let’s reverse that. If you feel tired, fat, and lazy all the time, that’s how you will feel emotionally and mentally.
No wonder you’re cranky in the morning!
If you aren’t exercising now, start doing that today. Even 15 minutes a day will do wonders. You don’t have to go to the gym either. You can work out in the comforts of your own home following a YouTube video!
And remember, exercise releases endorphins, the happy neurotransmitters!
Set Daily Intentions
Before diving into your day, take a few moments to set clear intentions for how you want the day to unfold but also don’t set high expectations. Expectation leads to disappointment.
Keeping an agenda or checklist is very useful for getting things done, and if your list looks too big, either delegate or put some things off until tomorrow.
final thoughts on morning hacks for happiness
I’m not going to promise that if you follow all these morning hacks that you’re going to be a ray of sunshine every day, but I will say that if you at least try one or two or 4, you will definitely see a vast improvement in your mood.
If you aren’t getting enough sleep and that’s causing crankiness, try taking a natural sleep aid like Melatonin or altering your bedtime routine so that you can get the sleep your body needs.
It’s no fun to start every day cranky so I hope that you do try some of these morning hacks and let me know how they work. If you have some hacks of your own, drop them down below!
