Waking Up Positive!

The toughest part of the day for most people has to be the morning. I know for me, waking up is a struggle, regardless of how I slept, waking up is a tough thing to do. Then to add on top of it we have to wake up, get ourselves ready and then get our kids ready for the day as well, it can be overwhelming. So how do we deal with the struggles that the morning brings?

One of the biggest things that has helped us get the morning routine going smoothly is being prepared. The typical evening now consists of getting the coffee set up for the morning to brew on a timer, making lunches for Tanner and myself and then packing his backpack with a snack and his school folder. Having these three steps done the night before is a huge help when waking up in the morning. Because if they are set up and ready to go, my morning consists of getting him dressed, myself dressed and getting the odds and ends packed up for him. Then once we are dressed it is cartoons and breakfast. If I can get up early enough I love to make the kids a nice breakfast before I head out. French toast or pancakes are a staple in our house and something they devour when I make it.

Another tip that helps me wake up and get my day started is moving my alarm clock across the room. This is a tip that I have found to actually work. In years past I have slept with my phone charging near my bed, within arms reach, making it easy to access and hit that snooze button. However, with the phone set up to charge across the room, I now have to get up and walk over to it. Now granted, I do not have a large bedroom, the walk is short, and many mornings I still just grab my phone and lay back down. Therefore, while I am up and walking I have to remind myself to stay up, get downstairs and get going. If I can get the morning routine going before anyone else wakes up, it seems smoother and easier, since the kids are not running around yet. Then if I get up and stay up, I tend to get a few minutes of uninterrupted time in the morning, to drink coffee and relax. As a parent there may be no sweeter thing than a morning coffee in the quiet, uninterrupted. Am I right?

My final tip for waking up with ease is a no brainer, plan something in the morning that makes you get up. What I mean is when there is something you are looking forward to the next morning it makes it easier to get out of bed. Think about it. When you have to wake up for vacation, hunting, golfing, or an exciting event, you tend to get out of bed with ease. It's because we now have a fun and exciting reason to wake up, not a routine, somewhat boring reason. Although this tip may be true, it is not realistic to have this type of morning very often if you are an average family. So the goal is to trick your mind into thinking the day is going to be exciting. Start viewing your days as a positive instead of a negative. Waking up with my kids gives me the excitement I am looking for in my mornings. I absolutely love seeing them before I head to work, waking up for me lately has become easier than ever before thanks to them.

If you are struggling to wake up and start your day try these tips listed above. Try preparing your day in advance, try moving your alarm clock around the room forcing you to move first thing in the morning and try finding a positive to waking up. I know we look at our days as just going through the steps to pay bills and get by, but there is more to it. There are our kids' lives, there's our personal likes and wants to keep us going in a way that motivates us to do our best. We all can wake up with purpose.