Wake Up Early for More Self-Care

AAAAAHHHH! -Me frazzled and running out the door trying to make sure my kids are off to school on time!

In fact, if you are the type that runs out screaming daily and feeling frazzled like your day is already off to a bad start and hasn’t really even started yet, you may need to consider waking up early for more self-care.

I get it! Mornings are hard. And if you have kids, they are even harder as you spend every last waking minute making sure they have everything they need to have a good day, feel prepared for school, enough snacks, a healthy lunch – need I go on?

But what about you? Who is taking care of mama? If you don’t plan to take care of yourself, sadly your needs will be left on the shelf (and maybe you will find them years from now like the old recipe you’ve been searching for.)

If your morning is filled with stress and yelling, it may be time for an eye-opening look at your morning. Ask yourself, “How can I fix this and make my day run more smoothly so I don’t feel guilty all day about sending the kids off to school after I just snapped at them for the umpteenth time?”

This post will help you learn to be a more zen, peaceful mama in the morning by waking up earlier for self-care.

Here are Six Tips to Help You Wake Up Earlier for Self-Care

Learning to wake up earlier for more self-care is key to helping you have an amazing morning and even better day! Use these tips to try it.

#1 Limit Your Screen Time

You may set a timer for your kids, but what about you? Did you know blue light from devices affects your sleep? This can cause you to have a less peaceful, deep sleep leaving you not wanting to get up early in the morning.

In fact, according to Havard Health Publishing, blue light has a dark side by affecting sleep quality, decreasing sleep and sleep satisfaction. It does so my limited melatonin secretion, a key chemical needed to sleep. This can affect the rest of your day and leave you in a “brain fog” and often more irritable with your family.

Although it is hard and many of us are addicted to our devices, it is best to set a timer and put it away a few hours before bed.

You can also start putting them outside of y our bedroom, turning them off or using the “do not disturb” function. This will help with sleep quality.

If you are sued to playing on the phone at night as a hobby, try reading as a soothing activity. Also, invest in some blue light glasses if you must be on your phone for work or emails.

Although blue light glasses can help. putting your phone away is the best option if you want to get up earlier.

#2 Have a Good Bedtime Routine

How do you feel before going to bed? Do you set your “brain” to a soothing, calming aura or do you watch violent or drama-filled television before bed? I used to watch the housewives before bed and realized I was all fired up before trying to go to sleep. Now I try to catch up during the day if I can so I don’t have people fighting as the last thing I see before bed.

Also, try doing some light stretching a few hours before bed. This will help with flexibility, which let’s face it – if you are getting older like me, starts going downhill if you don’t exercise.

Try dimming the lights in your room for at least an hour, but preferably two hours before bed.

Also, take a nice soothing shower and use aromatherapy if you can. I like peppermint shower bombs, but you could do lavender for a more calming effect before bed.

This will help you relax and keep a zen state of mind.

#3 Try and New Alarm Tone

Once you’ve gotten into better habits of resting, you can find ways to help you actually get up in the morning. Start by trying a new alarm tone on your alarm clock or phone.

Since you are familiar with the one you always use, trying a new one will help reset the pattern of getting up earlier. You will be less likely to hit snooze and doze off into a wonderous dreamland again.

If you can, try not using the snooze button altogether, as it actually makes you feel more tired when you go back to sleep for that small amount of time.

Sleep until you need to get up and make sure to get enough sleep fo your body, but get up right away to feel birth and chipper!

#4 Change Your Room

By changing your room, you are resetting habits in your brain. One thing you can do is cover your shades with light-blocking curtains. Thsi will help you have a dark room for better sleep.

Try putting your alarm across the room so you have to get up to shut it off.

Once you are up, go right to the shower or grab your coffee so you will not be tempted to go back to bed.

Try setting your clothing in the bathroom and getting dressed right after you shower so you are reminded of your new plan for the day.

#5 Try a Morning Schedule

Do you use a schedule throughout the day? Why not make one for the mornings so things go more smoothly. You can then take the guesswork out of getting ready and put your brain on autopilot. Once you have accomplished your tasks you will feel a sense of pride for starting your day off on the right note. You will also have less stress and be able to conquer your day in a better mood.

#6 More Time is a Gift

Now it’s time for morning self-care. Since you are up earlier, you will have time for self-care. You can try saying positive mantras, reading something, or giving yourself positive self-talk. You can watch a motivational video on Youtube, or do some morning yoga. The gift of time will help you feel better about your entire day.