Rise and Shine: Joy, Hope, and Potential for Your Mornings
Can you imagine a morning of joyous bright colors, books, coffee, light, and beauty? For a long time, I thought it was a pipe dream - something that can only be experienced while on vacation where there are no responsibilities to weigh me down. Luckily I have found five key lessons from thought leaders, and much trial-and-error, that have transformed my mornings. Check out these routines and mindsets for joy, hope, and potential (plus awesome results I didn’t even predict!)
Hint: #2 is a doozy ⏰, #5 will make your mama heart proud 💓
#1 - Sweet Sleep You Could Only Dream About
After my daughter was born, I fell into some problematic insomnia patterns that were not helpful for parenting, health, happiness, etc. I dreaded going to bed and woke up crabby because I’d be awake in the middle of the night for hours. I tried exercising more, eating better, not eating in the evening, stretching, avoiding caffeine, taking vitamins, and more and nothing seemed to give me the eight straight hours I craved. While searching for help online, I found a book called Say Goodnight to Insomnia, by Greg Jacobs.
It made some fairly outrageous promises like improving sleep in 80+% of people that follow the program and I thought, alright, I’ll try it - safe, drug-free, positive thinking - sounds fun!
I am telling you right now, this is one of the most life-changing books I’ve ever read. I’d like to dig deeper into the world of better sleep for busy women in a future blog but for today, I want to share with you that taking steps to give yourself the gift of healthy, positive, joyful sleep is the #1 step to take for happier mornings and days.
While the steps I had to take to achieve the type of sleep I have now were
👏Not 👏 E 👏 Z
It was 100% worth the six weeks of dedication for a lifetime of luxurious sleeps.
#2 Wake Up Way Too Early
One of the directions in Say Goodnight to Insomnia was to reduce the amount of time spent in my room “trying” to sleep so I had some time to burn at night. I tried knitting, yoga, watching documentaries, and more but I stunk at staying up late - TV is stupid, social media was lame, and I’ve never been a night owl. It just made me crabby.
Alrighty, so let’s flip it and try waking up early instead. Right about that time, the Australian Open Tennis Gram Slam was going on and, if I woke up around 5am I could watch the matches live. GO FEDERER!!!
I slowly began to sleep better and better every day. Between tennis, yoga, reading, and journaling for about three weeks (alone with no hubs or kids) mornings became my favorite time of the day.
After following a program to overcome insomnia, mornings have become my favorite time of day filled with self-care, reading, journaling, and peace. When I tell people that I love mornings and typically wake up around 5am, even on the weekends, I get some very funny looks, but according to all the thought leaders I’ve researched and my own personal experiences - my life has become infinitely more joyful because of waking up early to do something I love every day.
What can you do to improve your sleep habits to help you want to wake up early? The key is to love what you’re planning to do - when we look forward to doing something and take the steps to achieve it, anything is possible!
#3 - Break a Sweat Before Seven a.m.
My job was very intense for a while and I started having trouble sticking to my workout routine - not good for me or anyone around me. Since I didn’t mind waking up early at this point, I started packing for work the night before and went to the gym.
Convincing myself to get up early to read, journal, watch TV, and sip on coffee seemed difficult at first but it was cake compared to the challenge of going to the gym or out for a run in the dark and cold before my caffeine had fully made its way through my brain fog.
It took a solid three weeks of going out to exercise most mornings before I started to like it. Research has yet to nail down the amount of time it takes to instill a new good habit but this one took a while because it requires a bunch of other habits so here’s the breakdown if you’d like to add morning workouts to your week.
While cleaning up dinner, pack tomorrow’s breakfast AND lunch completely and ready to grab when you leave. (or better yet, make all ten on Sundays and take it all to work on Monday!)
When you get into your jammies, put your workout clothes in the bathroom and pack a work outfit (plus accessories and shoes) in your gym bag.
Pay for a gym locker and keep all the shower necessities there: soap, towel, lotion, makeup, etc. (I shower before bed - skipping shampoo after a workout saves tons of time!)
Look up quick post-workout hairdos on YouTube. They’re really cute.
Keep a pair of shoes or two at work. (while I’m thinking about it - keep one extra of most things in the car for emergencies like undies, bra, socks, etc. Trust me.)
Convince your spouse to take over mornings for the kids if possible. Bribery helps with this one.
Some of the most beautiful moments in my life have happened before 7am such as this July sunrise on the bike path or watching a pair of diving ducks while paddleboarding. By moving my workouts to the morning, I am happier at work (teenagers are demanding!), I feel healthier and more energetic during the day, and I’m no longer stressed about missed workouts: I’ve moved my number one health priority to a time of the day that no one can steal or interrupt.
How do you feel about this concept? As I mentioned, it has the potential to change your life but it’s dependent on lots of little choices to create it. Is it something you’re open to? Would it make you happy? Can you try it for a month, with a positive encouraging mindset, and see how it goes?
#4 Kids are Capable but Need a Guide
Like the list above to make my workouts possible, kids benefit from a list of things to do each night and morning. Getting them to do it is a real beast though, am I right?!?
Taking care of my sleep and my own priorities before the kids even wake up was the positive catalyst I needed to make mornings happier for everyone! I had the patience to try new approaches to the kids’ morning routines, breakfast prep, lunch prep, and more.
My son and I really struggled to get out the door on time and happily when he was in kindergarten. I knew it was possible to have a happy start to the day, though, so we made a plan:
He could earn “recess” time outside or with his toys if he got totally ready before the alarm went off to go to the bus stop. It wasn’t easy! But what good life change ever is? He really wanted that play time so we talked about the value of preparing things ahead of time - he even decided to wake up earlier to have more play time - I was shocked. The results of hard work are often hard to predict but a more independent kindergartener was a fantastic surprise.
Our behavior directly impacts the mood of our home - moms rule the roost and lead the way for joy or sorrow. Some of my friends have said they hate mornings and so do their kids (I wonder why 🤔). Brendon Burchard, an incredible thought leader, life coach, author, and more, says,
“I believe the most important thing right now that we can all do is the hardest thing. And that is to adopt the role model mindset. The mindset that says, ‘You know what? I’m going to be a role model through this so A, I can be proud. When I look back, I say, ‘You know what, I was a role model then, I really showed up when it was tough.’ And B, because the kids are watching, because the community is watching, because the world is watching us right now, and how we show up right now man it matters more than ever.”
If we have the power to create joy or sorrow, love or frustration in our homes, how can we make an environment to be proud of? When I’ve put in the hard work to make a change, I can always look back with pride knowing I created that.
#5 Communicate Your Goals
Communication with the fam is KEY! If you want to go to bed at a good time, get a workout in the morning, or simply not fight about waffle flavors, communicating your goals is 100% required.
I was walking out the door to go to the gym at 5:10 am one day and my husband said, “Um. I’m flying to Detroit today.”
Well, then, I will be doing a Les Mills at home then, eh? While this was not a big deal and was quite nice since there was a foot of snow on the driveway that I didn’t want to shovel, if we had remembered to plan it out ahead of time, I wouldn’t have lost any of my precious morning time.
Communicating with men is clunky but with the kids, it can feel like a foreign language. Keep trying, mama! Ask what they need for tomorrow and when they say, “I don’t know,” take away any and all privileges you can think of until they take the initiative to communicate. Literally: no tv, phone, friends, freedom, until they fulfill the requirement to communicate about your days.
This is not only a kindness to their family members, it’s a vital life skill for school, college, and career success. Trust me, I’m a teacher! “Communicate widely shared learning goals and expectations” is a stated standard objective.
Lists make everything clearer and easy for families like this pretty printable morning checklist for kids. Click on the image for editable google slides, a printable PDF, and more. After planning with my family to meet my (and their) morning priorities, we have significantly happier mornings and evenings, too.
Thank you for being with me today and remember to be brave with this goal and then step into the person that you want to be each morning.
It’s not easy but it is so worth it.
Journal
In a pretty journal (these are my favorites) write down your vision of a beautiful morning. Go big! Even if you only think it could happen on a vacation. Does it include coffee on the deck? Reading for a half hour before the kids wake up? Getting a fantastic Les Mills BodyCombat burn? Write it all down.
Then flip the unreal into possible: what can you do now to make those goals a reality?
If I want to be alone to meditate or read before any other humans need me, I know I have to set an alarm.
If I want to prioritize my athleticism and health, I know I need to prepare all of my things (clothes, jacket, boots, healthy food - and lots of it!) when I eat dinner. If I wait till bedtime to do it, I find that I’m less likely to actually follow through.
If I want my kids to enjoy their morning and be positive and kind, I need to give them time and tools to accomplish that goal: lists, prep at night, setting a good example, etc.
Have fun designing a new joyful morning for yourself and all of your blessings!
Devotional
From Psalm 71, I love verse 14, “I will wait and hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.” As I wait for the abundance I know is mine through faith, hope, love, and trust, I will do my part to be good, loving, hard-working, and joyful. How I wait has been a major point of learning in my journal. How are you with waiting and what are you hoping for?
Resources
Brendon Burchard’s Blog/Podcast about how routines can help overcome chaos
Dr. Michael Greger’s undisputed evidence of the benefits of morning (i.e. fasted) workouts
Dr. Greger’s book, How Not To Diet, for the science behind our healthiest selves
Say Goodnight to Insomnia 6-week plan to overcome sleep disruptions and find more positivity surrounding your slumber
