Every Sunday night I tell myself that this is going to be the week. It’s going to be the week I get my shit together, hit all my gym goals, eat like a fucking health nut, and be the person my TikTok FYP believes I can be — all I have to do is wake up early and be a morning person. And do you know what happens when that 7am alarm rings? I keep snoozing it and snoozing it until there’s only 10 minutes left before I start my remote job, drag myself out of my bed with crust still in my eyes, and log onto work. I don’t eat breakfast til a few hours later, and it’s lucky if I make it to the gym because hey, I’m just too tired to go after work. If this sounds anything like your routine, I see you and you’re not alone.
I have always been a night owl. I stay up til two in the morning and feel my most awake when everyone else is going to bed. And while this got me by for most of my 20s, I’m about to be 28 and something’s got to shake. But there’s hope yet, because believe it or not, you can actually train yourself to become a morning person. It just takes the necessary mindset shifts, according to Janet Bayramyan, LCSW, psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery and overall self-improvement.
“From a psychological perspective, you need to begin viewing yourself as a morning person instead of a night owl,” Bayramyan tells Betches. “You could start by reframing and affirming that you are capable of waking up early and getting started on your day early.” She says to visualize your morning routine, including how it feels to have extra time in the morning to exercise, relax, write in your to-do list, jot down thoughts in a journal, stretch, and more.
Once you know the kind of routine you want, it’s time to set things in motion. You have to remember that while it’s totally possible to become a morning person, it’s not going to happen overnight. There are tangible goals you can set to put you on the path to becoming a morning person (AKA, someone who’s better than everyone else).
Adjust Your Wake Up Time — Slowly
If you’ve been sleeping in until 10am or 11am, odds are you aren’t going to be able to just suddenly start waking up at 6 in the morning. “Move up your wake-up time by 15 minutes every few days to make the adjustment less shocking,” Bayramyan says. It’ll feel more natural, and eventually you’ll get to the wake-up time you want.
Get Some Sunlight ASAP
One of the biggest mistakes is immediately reaching for our phone and just laying in bed when we wake up. This isn’t going to help with the whole “feeling exhausted” thing. Your best bet? Getting up and getting some good ole’ vitamin D. “Immerse yourself in early morning sun as soon as you wake up, as this signals to your brain that it’s time to be up and alert,” Bayramyan says.
Work On Sleep Hygiene
“Chances are it’s not that you dislike the mornings, it’s that you dislike feeling tired in the morning,” Bayramyan says. This means it’s time to get real about fixing your sleep. One way to do this is to set a really relaxing nighttime routine. She explains that this can include reading, meditating, gentle stretching, self-massage, taking a bath — basically anything that’ll set your brain and body up for some really great rest. And yes, that means staying off of TikTok and Twitter right before bed.
Set A Morning Routine You’re Excited About
If you want to become a morning person, you’re going to have to be one of those people that wakes up excited about the day (sorry, it just comes with the territory). Bayraman suggests doing this by adding something to your morning routine that you look forward to, like your favorite coffee or a walk with your dog. This can also be some sort of short exercise, your favorite breakfast, putting on a face of makeup that makes you feel great — whatever it is you need to do to look forward to getting out of bed and feeling accomplished about doing it.
