0429 Wake Up Right: The Power of Morning Routines
Starting with brushing his teeth before 4 a.m., influencer Ashton Hall says he also swims, meditates, journals, rubs his face with banana peel, lifts weights, puts his face in ice water and does much more every day before eating breakfast at around 9.30 a.m.
A video of his morning routine has been viewed millions of times on social media, and it has encouraged people to consider how best to start the day — although a five-hour routine might be too much for most of us!
Don't worry, says Kamalyn Kaur, a UK-based psychotherapist. You don't need to start your day with dozens of activities to improve it.
But she says it is a good idea to think about how you get going because having a relaxed, structured morning could help boost your energy and mood.
As a professor of workplace psychology at The University of Oklahoma, Shawn McClean has spent years studying how work life is influenced by the rest of your life.
His research has found that employees perform better and are more calm throughout the day when they complete their morning routine uninterrupted. But employees with disruptive mornings report higher levels of mental depletion late in the day.
It's hard to define what a good routine is, and there is no one routine that is best for everyone. But some routines can do more harm than good.
Rushing around in the morning to shower, eat and get out the door just on time is an example of a destructive morning routine, Kaur says.
The stress of a rushed morning produces extra cortisol, which is a necessary hormone that helps regulate the circadian rhythm, she said. It's what naturally wakes you up and makes you alert in the morning.
Too much cortisol in the blood, however, creates a feeling of restlessness and anxiety.
People who often have hectic mornings should consider setting their alarm 30 minutes earlier, Kaur says.
Then, she suggests, make your bed, get some natural light, drink water and take a walk!