From a psychological standpoint, having a good start to the morning can have a great impact on how you set yourself up for the day ahead with minimising stress and worry.

Having some simple habits as part of your routine certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. We’re not talking about starting every day with a 10km run or spending an hour of your morning deep in meditation. No, it can absolutely be much simpler than that!

Read on for the top 5 key habits that I recommend for everyone to try out for better mental wellbeing.

1. Give yourself a bit more time

One of the worst things you can do for yourself in the morning in my opinion is hit that snooze button. While it can be very tempting to get a few minutes or more worth of sleep, it very rarely leads to increased energy and improved mood. Instead, I would highly recommend considering setting that alarm for 15 to 30 minutes earlier (and getting up when it goes off!). It may not seem like a lot of time, but a bit of extra time in the morning will allow you to face your morning in a calm and relaxed manner rather than rushed and stressed, decreasing the likelihood of that stress and low energy feeling creeping into the remainder of your day.

2. Minimise phone use

We’ve probably all heard about the importance of cutting down screen time before bed to minimise exposure to that nasty blue light that has a tendency to keep the brain awake and active. On the other side of sleep, I would also argue that keeping your phone use minimal is a great habit to get into your routine. Here it is less about the technology itself and more about what we ‘feed’ our brains in the morning. Social media, news and work emails can all have a negative and stressful effect on our brain, and too much exposure to this can result in higher levels of cortisol (the primary stress hormone) in the body.[1]

A little caveat here. I’m not trying to ban you from using your phone in the morning, however at the very least reviewing what content you consume is important. If scrolling through social media in the morning gives you a sense of calm then that is okay! Or if reading the news on your phone is your equivalent of cracking open the morning paper at breakfast, good for you! It is really just about minimising content that will result in higher levels of stress first thing in the morning.

3. Don’t skip breakfast!

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’, and while I am not so sure that there is such a thing as ‘the most important’ meal, eating food in the morning is still crucial for brain function and a balanced meal will giving your brain the nutrients that it needs to tackle that tricky work project or study for that test. What it comes down to is that our brain requires glucose as fuel to function properly (which we get through the carbohydrates that we eat), and without this we are likely to feel sluggish and lethargic prior to lunch time, meaning less productivity and likely more stress for that second half of your day.

4. Get active

I would highly recommend trying to get some physical activity in to your morning routine. Regular exercise is not only an excellent way of looking after your physical health, but it also has profound impacts on our mental health. Exercise boosts our sense of mental wellbeing through endorphin release which assists in boosting your mood, reduction of aches, pains and tension in the body that may otherwise contribute to a sense of frustration or hopelessness, and increases motivation.

It does not have to be big or fancy, a simple walk around the neighbourhood could do just fine. Or if you are a regular gym goer, why not try and move your training session to the morning instead.

5. Get some mindfulness in to your routine

Finally, practicing mindfulness, or other relaxation-based exercises, is a great way of managing stress, connecting with your body and improving your mental wellbeing. Regular mindfulness practice has been shown to reduce activity in the alarm centre in your brain (the amygdala), which in turn reduces experiences of stress and overwhelm. Starting your day with some simple mindfulness practice is as such fantastic in setting yourself up for a calm and balanced day.

Mindfulness can be practiced in a lot of different ways and does not have to be complicated or time consuming. There are great apps on the market that guide you through simple mindfulness and meditation exercises (such as Smiling Mind), or you could incorporate mindfulness in other regular morning activities such as eating breakfast.

Why not try a simple mindful eating practice like this one:



Mindful eating practice

Gently pick up a piece of fruit in your hand (a berry or a piece of fruit can be the easiest to use here but you are of course welcome to pick whatever food suits you).

Take some time to study the surface of the fruit, noticing its shape, colour and weight in your hand. Notice the feel of the fruit against your skin. Notice its texture and temperature as you hold it.

Take a moment to smell the fruit. Notice the aroma.

Now slowly raise the fruit close to your lips. Notice the process of salivation occurring inside your month. Then gently take a bite, noticing how the teeth pierce its surface and the sensation of sweetness that hits the tongue.

Chew it slowly, noticing the taste and texture. Notice the sound as you take the bite.

After you’ve swallowed the piece, pause and notice the way the taste gradually disappears from your tongue.

Now eat the rest of the fruit in the same way.

Veronica West is a psychologist at LYSN. LYSN is a digital mental health company with world class wellbeing technology which helps people find their best-fit professional psychologist whilst being able to access online tools to improve their mental health. www.welysn.com 

[1] Rus HM, Tiemensma J. Social Media under the Skin: Facebook Use after Acute Stress Impairs Cortisol Recovery. Front Psychol. 2017 Sep 19;8:1609. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01609. PMID: 28974938; PMCID: PMC5610684.