11 Small Things You Can Do In The Morning So You Don't Want To Get Back In Bed And Hide
There are lots of small things you can add to your morning routine to set yourself up for success.
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock Mornings can be tough. While some people thrive on waking up early and having time to themselves to jumpstart their day, others would much rather stay in bed and continuously hit the snooze button. For some, mornings can even create a sense of anxiety and dread that makes you want to simply crawl back in bed and hide.
That’s why it’s important to have a morning routine in place that can keep you on track. Writing for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Luna Greenstein explained, “Having a morning routine can increase your energy, productivity and positivity. It also generates momentum, building up to the brain’s peak time for cognitive work (late morning).” Small and simple morning habits can keep you on track and get you ready for the day, and it’s the surest way to stop yourself from getting back into bed and hiding.
Here are 11 small things you can do in the morning so you don’t want to get back in bed and hide
1. Make your bed
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One of the best deterrents to getting back into bed is to make your bed first thing. After all, who can look at a freshly made bed and feel like they want to mess it up by getting back into it? Aside from the obvious, there are many other benefits to making your bed when you first wake up. Making a goal to do so can give you the motivation you need to get moving in the morning.
One big proponent of making your bed each morning is William H. McRaven, retired four-star Navy admiral, former chancellor of The University of Texas and author of ‘Make Your Bed: Litting Things That Can Change Your Life … And Maybe the World.’ McRaven believes that making your bed as soon as you wake up provides a small sense of accomplishment first thing, setting you up to believe that you can continue to accomplish more throughout the day.
Whether there is actually any truth to the idea that this one accomplishment sets you up for greater success honestly seems irrelevant. It’s all about having that initial sense of accomplishment and feeling motivated to get out of bed — and, of course, not get back into it. Performing this simple task can set the tone for the rest of your day and get you going on the right foot first thing.
2. Get outside
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Being outside is far from some people’s cup of tea, in the morning or at other times of the day. However, it has definite benefits. A 2019 study published in Scientific Reports concluded that it was optimal to spend at least two hours outside each week, which can of course be spread out over the entirety of the week. Doing so led to major health and wellbeing benefits.
But why should you take the time to step outside in the morning? It’s all about sunlight. Being in sunlight signals to your body that it’s time to reset your sleep cycle. Dr. Brandon Peters, MD, said, “When you get bright light in the morning it can help you feel more alert during the day and has a later effect that helps you to feel sleepy in the evening and fall asleep earlier.”
Getting outside in the sunlight is beneficial for your general health and your sleep cycle. It’s also encouraging to step outside and feel the sun on your skin on mornings when you’d simply rather stay in bed. It’s an easy way to feel more awake and recenter before the day ahead takes over.
3. Create a cozy environment
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Something that could draw you out of bed and help keep you from getting back in is to create a cozy environment around you once you get up. This could include things like using soft lighting like candles and lamps instead of harsher overhead lighting or setting up a nook where you can read, journal, meditate or do whatever it is that best sets you up for the day.
Jodi Clarke, MA, LPC/MHSP, compared the desire to make your atmosphere cozy to the Danish Hygge lifestyle, which has become a trend across the globe. Taking part in Hygge can do everything from decreasing stress to lessening depression and anxiety to improving sleep.
If you feel tempted to get back in bed after waking up in the morning, making the rest of your space cozy can go a long way towards giving you that same level of comfort you’re craving while also helping you to get your day started.
4. Incorporate some kind of movement
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If you have a hard time getting into the day ahead of you and want to just pull the covers over your head, incorporating some movement into your morning routine could be helpful. While it may require getting up a bit earlier or not hitting the snooze button to fit it in, it’s worth it. Moving your body first thing in the morning will help you feel more awake and signal to your body that it’s time to transition out of that sleep state.
Writer Kirsten Nunez pointed out that exercising in the morning can give you an energy boost for the rest of the day. It can also improve your sleep, mood, focus and tendency to incorporate movement throughout the day. It’s a bit like a superpower you can use to start your day on the right foot.
This certainly doesn’t mean you have to start your day off with an intense cardio session. For some people, morning movement will just look like doing some gentle stretching or getting out an exercise mat for some yoga. If getting your sweat on first thing isn’t your thing, there are still plenty of options.
5. Avoid checking your phone
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If there’s one thing that will make you want to crawl back into bed and hide, it’s bad news. Feeling like the world is crumbling all around you is a sure way to get a one-way ticket back to bed. You don’t have to necessarily keep your phone locked up in the other room for this to work. Some people need to use it as an alarm, and communicating with people you love may not be a bad idea.
However, doomscrolling through social media or checking the news is definitely not the best way to spend the beginning of your morning. Empowerment psychologist Jay Rai explained that your brain moves through several stages between sleep and waking. By grabbing your phone and scrolling first thing, you’re essentially forcing your brain to skip through several stages and move straight to wakefulness. That’s clearly not healthy.
Instead of allowing yourself to wake up to absolute chaos, choose peace by leaving your phone where it is, or only using it for essential communication. This will make it easier for you to not only get out of bed but stay out of bed and keep your mental health in a better, healthier space.
6. Do something mindful
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Taking the time to practice mindfulness in the morning can be a great way to get your head in the right place, and stop you from wanting to climb back into bed. Perhaps you’ll want to try something like meditation or journaling. Even just jotting down a few things you are grateful for can go a long way towards helping your mental health.
Writing in a journal and getting whatever is going on in your mind out and onto a piece of paper can help you in so many ways. Elizabeth Winkler, LMFT, shared, “The benefits of journaling include deepened presence, inner peace and self-awareness, reduction in anxiety and depression, a wider capacity to be flexible with yourself and others and a deeper purpose in your daily life.”
Similarly, writer Hope Gillette noted that meditation can help with stress reduction. “Morning meditation may help you manage feelings of worry, anticipation and anxiety on particularly stressful days,” she said. Whatever form of mindfulness you choose to engage in, your mind will thank you for it.
7. Plan your day
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Few things calm an overwhelmed mind more than making a plan. While sitting paralyzed in stress and anxiety may seem easier, it definitely isn’t in the long run. It just makes life harder for you as you struggle to gain some kind of clarity on what you should be doing. Taking just a few minutes to plan your day will put you back in control and give you the vision you need to get through the day.
Whether you are a traditional paper and pen person or more of a digital planner, there are so many different options for making a list of the things you need to do for the day. Doing this and reviewing the list first thing in the morning can majorly increase your productivity, Jane Wild of Jane’s Agenda said.
Of course, increasing productivity is great. But what can be even better is to get your head in the right space for the day ahead. By having a plan and knowing what you need to do, you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed and feel the urge to crawl back in bed and hide. Take a few minutes to list what you need to do that day and feel the stress melt away.
8. Make getting ready simpler
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For some people, the dread of the coming day can just be too much to handle. Getting up and getting ready can feel impossible. To make this easier, try to streamline how you get ready as much as possible. Have your outfit planned ahead of time, and take the simple route when it comes to skincare and makeup. A 10-step routine is not necessary.
In fact, what’s become popular now is developing a five-minute makeup routine so you can get ready quickly and easily. And the easier it is to get ready, the more likely you are to get out of bed and not get back in. Makeup brand e.l.f. Cosmetics shared that a five-minute makeup routine can be as easy as five steps that each take a minute. Of course, if you wanted to, you could simplify this even further.
If it’s easy for you to get ready in the morning, you’ll be less intimidated by the act of doing so. It will make getting up in the morning and not going back to bed to hide much more feasible. An added bonus is that you’ll feel great because you took the time to look presentable. Let’s be honest, climbing back into bed is a lot easier if you stay in your pajamas all day.
9. Surround yourself with things or people you love
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Waking up to a life you genuinely don’t like is not the best way to start your day, or to ensure that you get up and stay up. Of course, addressing your whole life isn’t something small to add to your morning routine. But there are things you can do to move in that direction. For example, surround yourself with things and people you love.
It’s not always possible to have the people you love around you in the morning because everyone has different, demanding schedules. But being able to say “good morning” to your family and see them off before they leave for school and work, or meeting up with a friend to take a workout class or grab a quick coffee can make a world of difference. It gives you something to look forward to and a bit of purpose.
When the people you love aren’t readily available, you can always rely on pets to bring a smile to your face. Or, you can simply have things around you that you love. Maybe you’re really obsessed with your coffee maker, or you’ve set up your cozy nook in your favorite chair. Having little things like this to draw you out of bed and keep you there will really help, especially on particularly hard mornings.
10. Actually eat breakfast and hydrate
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A lot of people have developed the habit of making their entire breakfast a cup of coffee and maybe a protein bar. Not properly hydrating and feeding yourself is a sure way to end up crashing before long, which will likely have you going back to bed.
When asked how important it is to eat breakfast, a meal many people skip, dietician Beth Czerwony, RD, LD, compared it to how you would start a road trip. “Would you start a long road trip in your car with the tank on empty? Think of eating breakfast the same way. You’re asking a lot of your body to get moving using only your reserves,” she explained.
Additionally, National Institutes of Health heart researcher Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva proved that it’s not only essential to drink water to avoid dehydration, but also to avoid the onset of chronic medical conditions in middle age. It’s important to start your day off right by filling up on good food and fluids. This will stop you from feeling like it’s time to go back to bed.
11. Adopt a positive mindset
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When your alarm goes off in the morning and you roll out of bed, it’s quite possible that positivity is the last thing on your mind. If you aren’t a morning person, feeling positive is likely difficult. However, having a positive mindset can change your whole day. One way to do this is through practicing saying positive affirmations.
WebMD’s Martin Taylor explained, “Positive affirmations are made up of phrases that you can say aloud to yourself or in your head. You can also write them down and make sure they’re always visible. Positive affirmations are meant to help build you up and improve your confidence, even when things are difficult.”
Studies like one published in PLOS One have proven that affirmations are beneficial for your brain and stress levels. According to the study, having an affirmation practice can improve your problem-solving skills and lower stress levels. By creating a more positive mindset, you can ensure that you don’t feel the need to get back in bed and hide.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
