How you start your mornings can set the tone for the day. If you wake up and immediately check your work emails only to find a pressing issue that needs your attention ASAP, it can turn into a day where you feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and anxious. Starting your day slower, with more intention and better boundaries can help regulate your nervous system and help you find balance so that when issues do arise at work, you’re able to handle them with more ease and grace. Here are some morning habits you can think about adopting and implementing to create a more relaxed way to start the day.
At Home
Healthy Breakfast
One easy habit to adopt is to make sure that you have a healthy breakfast, with a mix of protein, carbs, and fat. Eating a healthy breakfast will help regulate your blood sugar levels and help you feel more calm throughout the day. If you drink coffee, you may want to consider having it after breakfast, as drinking it before, can lead to high cortisol.
Quiet Time
Setting aside even five minutes in your morning for breathwork, prayer, time in nature, or meditation can help you feel more relaxed throughout the day. It’s important to put self-care and relaxation tools into your routine, so for the days that you do feel more overwhelmed, you have a solid foundation to help support you.
Leave for Work on Time
Whether you commute to the office or work from home, make sure you start your day on time and aren’t running behind schedule which will only make you feel more stressed. In an article on Forbes, they write, “This may be obvious to most people—but some don’t realize that showing up late can not only leave a bad impression, but also throw off your entire day. “Getting in on time or a little early helps your mindset for the day and helps promote a feeling of accomplishment,” Taylor says.”
At Work
Organize Your Workspace
When you get to the office in the morning, or to your work desk, do a quick clean-up so you have a neat and organized environment to work in for the day. Having a disorganized and scattered workplace can be distracting and contribute to stress.
Write a To-Do List
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed at work when you have a lot of projects going on. One way to handle this is by writing a to-do list of the most important tasks you have to complete that day, tasks that need to be completed but that are not as urgent, and the more long-term projects you need to slowly address over time.
Glance at Your Inbox
In the same article on Forbes they recommend quickly checking your emails in the morning, but not feeling the need to respond to all of them right away. They write, “This one is difficult for most people—but the experts agree that you shouldn’t check your e-mail first thing in the morning. If you do, only read and respond to messages that are urgent. “Priority-scan your inbox,” Taylor says. “Not all e-mails were created equal. Hone your ability to quickly sift the wheat from the chaff and address what must be answered on an urgent basis.” Attridge agrees. “Only respond immediately to the urgent messages so that you control your morning activities.” There will be time during the day to respond to the less urgent e-mails.”