Just like being born we are curled up nice and warm when suddenly we are stretched out into bright lights and the cold. No wonder we cry! Waking up can have a huge impact on our day, even if we have enough sleep the waking up part could make or break us.
Have you ever woken up with a jolt and found you are more tired than usual?
Lighting: If you can invest in a light that will increase in brightness then do, our bodies wake and tire with the sun so if you can recreate this then you are doing what we are hard-wired to do, even if you are a night owl. If you can't then unless you have a street light right outside your window when falling asleep try to have a few gaps in the curtains to let the sun do the job.
Sound: If you wake with an alarm, have gentle music or natural noises like birds rather than a bell or ring. You can always set a more dramatic alarm for later if you're worried you'll ignore the nice one. Get up slowly! You have been lying flat for a while and we want to ease our bodies into the day. (Especially if you have low blood pressure). Remember the baby analogy at the beginning? This is one time where 'ripping the band-aid off' is not the right way to go. Take the duvet off first let the body adjust to the temperature change before moving.
Breathe: Notice how you are breathing...it will be deep and slow...try to keep this in mind and continue with it.
Hydration: Try and drink some water as soon as you wake up. Think of your system like a car engine running on empty and all the dregs from the tank now pumping through. Put some fresh petrol in.
Shower/Bath: wash with uplifting fragrances and try (unlike me) to stay in there too long. When you come out this is the perfect time for a few simple stretches when your muscles are at their warmest. (And if you do end up running for the bus you won't pull anything!)
Breakfast: They say it is the most important meal of the day. Well, that is true as long as it contains the right things or you're just setting yourself up for a fall. The substance we are all addicted to is sugar and this stimulates most areas of our brains. That sounds great but most things that sound too good to be true are and we should all know by now about that sugar crash, and it'll come just when you have something important to do! Eat a small amount, our stomachs have just spent a good 8 hours readjusting and resetting so don't overload your system as this will stretch the stomach (meaning you'll need a bigger lunch) and our bodies will slow down as it will need to put its efforts into digesting. If you are going to have caffeine then this is the time to do it. Although even better if you don't.
Good lighting: When doing things like shaving or applying make-up have good lighting to take the strain from your eyes which is an unnecessary drain so early on. You are now ready to face the day.
