5 Routines To Jumpstart Your Brain In The Morning

Morning Routines

Have you ever woken up feeling foggy? It is as if your brain has a mind of its own and doesn’t always want to function when it needs to – particularly in the morning. Well, there are ways around that. 

We are creatures of habit from the time we are born. Babies and children typically do better when they have set numbers of naps that happen around the same time each day. We often eat meals at similar times each day and many of us keep calendars of events even though they happen at the same time and same place each day and week. We as humans innately enjoy routines. 

If you are suffering from foggy brain (we all do sometimes!) and looking for ways to jumpstart your brain into focus every day, there are steps that you can take to make that happen. It’s not just a hearty breakfast that you need in order to get a good start to the day. You need your brain to flip into the “on” position – even if you need to give it a little nudge. 

Develop a Good Bedtime Routine

Believe it or not, starting your morning off right actually begins at bedtime. You are ending one day and moving into another, but they aren’t independent of each other. Your night will absolutely affect your morning. 

There are things that you can do for yourself to help your morning each and every day. Try to stay away from caffeine from 2pm until bedtime so that your brain isn’t dealing with stimulants at bedtime. Avoid electronics and work after 7pm so that you can give your brain a rest. We all know that things come up, but making a habit of video gaming or surfing Facebook in the hours before bed will stimulate your brain as well. If you want to jump start your morning the next day, help your brain to get settled down and ready to drift into slumber so that you can get a healthy level of sleep when you go to bed.

Try Some Meditation or Read a Book

The very last thing that you want to do before going to bed is to clear your mind. Life is tough and there is a lot of stress that gets heaped onto our shoulders, so before going to bed, you want to do what you can to correct that. 

If you are into meditation, take some time to meditate and clear your head. Focus on your breathing and calm your body. If meditation isn’t your thing, try reading a book. The key is to get yourself out of your thoughts and the stresses of your life. Whether you want to delve into the world of Harry Potter or Alexander Hamilton, give your mind a break by trying someone else’s life on for a little bit before bed. 

Set Your Mind Right

You need to start your morning on the right foot – both physically and mentally. Consider placing a positive affirmation sign right next to your bed so that it’s the first thing you see in the morning. Starting your day off with positivity will help you set your mind right and immediately help you jumpstart your brain into focus.

This affirmation can be almost anything. It can be a meme that makes you happy and confident, a saying by one of your favorite authors (that applies to how you want to feel about yourself and your day) or something you’ve written for yourself. Think of things in the area of “I am confident, I am strong, and I am someone of value” or something that specifically applies to what empowers you. 

By helping to set your mind right in the morning, you won’t have time to dwell on the little things or try to think about what’s going on that day. You’ll simply start your day with this one positive thought straight out of bed so that your brain immediately jumps out of foggy mode into focus mode. After that, sorting your daily tasks may be even easier. 

Exercise in the Morning

Let’s face it, we all think about having a steady schedule of exercise but often fall off the bandwagon. If you’re suffering from foggy brain and unable to focus, perhaps you could start doing a set of exercises in the morning so that you can clear the cobwebs.

It really doesn’t matter what exercise you do, as long as you get that body and brain working. Some people enjoy starting their day with yoga and others do push-ups, but as long as your intention is to get your blood flowing and your brain to wake up, you will only be helping yourself either way. 

Stay Hydrated

Our body is made of mostly water, which means we need to make sure that we keep our bodies hydrated. I’m sure you drink when you are thirsty, but to keep yourself adequately hydrated, you need to be drinking even when you’re not.

In order to keep your brain focused, you need to have a good amount of water on a daily basis. Some people swear that having 16 oz of cold water first thing in the morning will help them wake up (try it!), but do what is best for you. Make sure that you are getting eight glasses of water each and every day to keep your body as hydrated as possible. It will help your mind as much as your muscles. 

There are ways to wake up that foggy brain in the morning, both by preparing ahead of time and stimulating your mind and body in the morning. Much of it has to do with keeping yourself healthy and centered, so do what you can each and every day to get your mind and body in the right place. These routines should start you off on the right foot and help you to continuously wake up feeling refreshed – without any major brain fogginess.