The first thing you do when you wake up is say “shit!”, you may be off to a bad start.

Your alarm goes off and you hit snooze, again.  Each time you blearily look at the clock, sluggishly calculating how many minutes you have until you REALLY have to get up for work.  Finally, the dreaded moment comes when you realize that, “Shit! I’m gonna be late!!”.  You leap out of bed, pull some rumpled clothes off the floor, grab your phone, keys, wallet/purse—and now mask— and pray that there’s coffee in the break room when you get to work.

This is NOT how you want to start your day.  We are creatures of habit.  It takes no time at all to become conditioned to our environment, and despite what you may think, you have more control over your day than you are led to believe.

If every day, the first thing you do when you wake up is say “shit!”, you may be off to a bad start.  If every day, the first thing you do for yourself is do something for someone else, you may be off to a bad start.  If every day you feel like there’s just not enough time in the day, you may feel like there are a lot of bad days.  But don’t worry, this all can very easily be altered.

If you have to leave for work at 8am, don’t get up for work at 7:52am. Get up at 6:52am.  Obnoxious, right? You’re tired, why would you wake up earlier when you’re already EXHAUSTED?  Perhaps the reason you’re so tired isn’t ‘physical exhaustion’.

When every day feels like resentment for the lack of time you have for yourself, that emotional stress can rack your energy levels.  You need to make time for yourself.  After being conditioned by your job, or the wants and needs of employers, employees, kids, friends, spouse, or your partner, it can honestly be difficult to even remember what it is you wanted to do with that mythical “time” you theoretically could have for yourself.  

Here’s a suggestion: go for a walk.  It doesn’t have to be a long walk, either; just a slow, deliberate jaunt around the block or down the road will get your blood flowing, your mind moving, and your digestive system revved up.  Or go for a power-walk.  Or a bike ride.  For me, movement in the morning is crucial to starting the day off right, but it doesn’t have to be kinetic.  

Read the book that’s been sitting on your nightstand for 6 months; just 5 pages, or a chapter.  Meditate.  Pray.  Write.  Stretch.  If none of these things sound good to you, then answer the question: what does sound good to you?  More sleep? I disagree.  Yes, sleep is incredibly important, but my bet is that it’s not your lack of sleep that’s the issue.  And if you want to debate me on that, then first answer this: can you go to bed earlier?  Can you take a nap mid-day? 

Take time for yourself.  You will be amazed at how different a day can be when you allow a moment for YOU.  Love yourself.