Just this morning it happened.
I got up. It was still dark outside, but I could hear the birds beginning to wake up with me. There had not been good sleep that night, with my stuffy nose and scratchy throat. But I was still up (and I couldn’t sleep anyway, so what was the point of lying in bed???!).
So there I was, on the couch at 5:15 AM. But instead of doing what I know gets me best prepared for my day, I grabbed my phone. And spent the next 45 minutes scrolling through Facebook, and watching YouTube videos.
Why? Because the mind-candy I found on my phone was much easier to engage with than the Bible that was sitting on the coffee table next to me.
A waste of a morning.
Did my morning give me energy for the day? No. It made me want to crawl back into bed. I was still groggy when the kids got up. I wasn't quite ready for the day to start. I regretted the easy, and wished I would have chosen what was harder.
Yes, we want to wake up early. And maybe some of us do wake up early. But if we choose to do things that suck energy out of us, the early morning is pointless (and can even be more harmful than good).
So with that, let's talk about 13 things that moms should AVOID doing first thing in the morning.
1. Scrolling Through Your Phone
And this one is extra hard when so many of us use our phones as alarms and clocks. It is the first thing that we grab when our alarm goes off in the morning. And it can be be hard to put it back down after we have it in hand. It is just too tempting!
Why you should avoid scrolling through your phone first thing in the morning?
- It is too easy to get sucked in, and stay there until the kids get up
- Social Media puts your mind on other people and what they are up too, instead of focusing on yourself.
- COMPARISON (and who needs that first thing in the morning??)
2. Checking The News
This isn't a huge temptation for me, but I know it is for some moms so let's talk about it.
90% of the time, the news is all about all the crap that is going on in the world, and that negativity first thing in the morning is not a good idea for anyone. Depending on what is going on, it could get your blood boiling, scare you, or just make you sad. And a Mama’s Mornings is about doing things that give life and energy. So let’s focus on those things instead.
3. Eating A Bunch Of Junk
One of my favorite ways to motivate myself to get up in the morning is to look forward to some kid of treat. I’ve talked about this before - for you it could be a scone, a hot cup of coffee with a special creamer you don’t normally use, etc.
But be careful here not to dive into the pantry and over indulge in that chocolate cake leftover from last night. I’ve done it before, and let me say from experience - DON’T DO IT! You will just feel crummy afterwards.
Plus all that sugar and junk will slow your brain down.
And giving in to that temptation first thing in the morning will make it harder to have self control later in the day. Then you will spend the next 12 hours eating the way you DON'T want to eat (been there, done that, more than once).
4. Going Back To Sleep
Not only will you miss your Mama’s Mornings, but going back to sleep, and/or using the snooze over and over again in the mornings doesn’t actually get you more rest. In fact, it might make you more tired.
5. Turning On The T.V.
Need I say anything else? You know, and I know, watching T.V. is not how we need to be spending our mornings. And don’t even think about using “but it is the NEWS” as an excuse. Turn it off. There are better things to do.
6. Checking Your Emails
TOO MUCH NOISE. Again, we want the mornings to be about quiet. And if it's in an email, I promise you it can wait another hour or two.
7. Looking At Your To-Do List
Your morning is a time for quiet....there is already enough busyness during the day, you don't need to wake up and run directly to your to-do list. Talk about morning anxiety...
If you catch yourself going through your to-do's right when you wake up, stop, breath, close your eyes and tell yourself you will think about those later. Don't get up or move until your mind is calm.
Planning your day can be beneficial to do during your Mama’s Mornings, but just do it towards the middle or end of your morning, not first thing.
8. Vacuum - because the kids will wake up!
Self-explanatory. We don’t want the kids to get up!!!
9. Other Household Chores
Mama’s Mornings are about finding quiet to get more energy, creativity, and motivation for the day. Doing household chores is a practical choice, but your day is already going to be filled with practical choices. You will get the chores done. But for your mornings, focus on tasks and activities that bring you energy and are life-giving.
10. Grabbing The Computer
Whether it is to get some work done, read the news, check email, get lost in YouTube, or look at social media, DON’T grab that computer first thing in the morning. It will distract you from the goal - to have a quiet, energy filling, and life giving hour or so.
It might be that a computer is what helps you accomplish a task that you do want to implement into your Mama's Mornings (writing, graphic design, something creative). If that is the case, then go ahead and by all means use it. Just don't let it be the first thing you do. Do something quiet and reflective, first, that doesn't involve a screen.
11. Turning On An Audio Book/Podcast/Radio
Listening to a podcast or an audio book is not a bad way to spent part of your Mama’s Morning, but just don’t press play FIRST thing. It is healthy, peaceful, and calming to be in the silence for at least a few minutes before you get started with some sort of media.
12. Waking-Up Your Spouse
Just because you want to get up early, doesn’t mean they do. Set up the night before so that you can get up and get whatever you need out of your bedroom quietly and they can stay asleep. I have learned that in marriage, just because you think a certain routine is healthy, doesn’t mean that you should force that on your spouse! Respect them and their choices. Plus, we just don't want to nagging, irritating wives, do we?
13. Negative Self-Talk
If you start your day off talking down to yourself, you are in for a long one. Learn how to recognize what you are telling yourself, and stop those words and thoughts that are negative. You are a child of God - He is not pleased when we talk down to his creation. And YOU are HIS creation. So stop it.
There you have it! If you find that several of the items listed above are apart of your routine FIRST thing in the morning, work on eliminating them one by one. Pick one to stop, cold turkey. Once you have broken the habit of grabbing the computer, or scrolling through your phone, or talking down to yourself, move on to the next one.
As the great Lemony Snicket says:
“...how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have..."
So start your day with what is life-giving and avoid the things that sucks energy out of you.
I'm rooting for you!
