Okay, let’s talk about this morning thing. Seriously, getting out of bed sometimes feels like the hardest job of the day. For years, it was a real battle for me.
The Daily Fight
It always started the same way. The alarm goes off. My first instinct? Hit snooze. Not just once, mind you. We’re talking two, three, sometimes four times. It wasn’t even conscious half the time. Just this automatic reaction to make the noise stop. Then, finally dragging myself up felt like pulling a truck out of mud. I’d be groggy, grumpy, and already feeling behind schedule.
I knew this wasn’t working. Rushing around, stressed before the day even properly began. Not a good look, and definitely not how I wanted to feel.
Trying Stuff Out
So, I started experimenting. Like a little science project on myself.
- Going to bed earlier: Seemed obvious, right? I tried shifting my bedtime back. Sometimes it helped a bit, but honestly, sometimes I’d just lie there awake, thinking about how I had to sleep. Didn’t always translate to easier mornings.
- The Alarm Clock Across the Room: This one had potential. I physically moved my old, loud alarm clock to the other side of the bedroom. Big difference. It forced me to actually get my feet on the floor to shut it off. Once I was standing, going back to bed felt kinda silly. Most days, anyway.
- No Phone First Thing: I used to grab my phone immediately. Bad habit. Scrolling through news or emails just sucked me back into inertia. I made a rule: no phone until after I was showered and dressed. Tough at first, but it helped clear my head.
- Water Immediately: Heard this somewhere. Put a glass of water by the bed. First thing after turning off the alarm (across the room, remember?), drink the whole glass. It sounds small, but it felt like flipping a switch, waking up my insides a little.
- Something to Look Forward To?: Tried setting up the coffee maker the night before, so the smell would be there. Nice, but not a magic bullet. Sometimes I’d plan a specific breakfast I liked. Helped a bit, gave my brain a small, positive target.
Where I’m At Now
Look, I’m not going to lie and say I leap out of bed singing like in some commercial. I still don’t love mornings. But the dread is gone. The frantic rush is gone. It’s manageable now.
My routine is basically this: alarm across the room goes off, I stumble over, turn it off, drink that glass of water. Then I head straight to the bathroom, splash water on my face. No phone allowed yet. Get dressed. THEN, coffee. By the time I have that first cup, I feel mostly human.
It wasn’t one single trick. It was trying different things, seeing what stuck, and building small habits. Getting out of bed is still an action I have to consciously do, but it’s not the monumental struggle it used to be. It’s just… the start of the day now.
