5 Morning Habits That Seem Healthy But Could Be Stressing You Out
How you start your mornings might have a lasting effect on your whole day and, consequently, your mental health. The first step to creating a morning routine that supports mental well-being is cutting out habits that increase stress.
You might rely on a morning routine you've had for years, or you might start each day differently. Commonly recommended morning practices such as exercising or journaling are usually deemed to be healthy and positive. While these activities can be beneficial for your energy and mood, even healthy habits can sometimes stress you out without you realising it.
Here are five seemingly innocent examples:
1. Hitting the snooze button
Hitting the snooze button might feel like liquid gold in the morning but it can end up stressing you out instead. Not only are you not getting any quality sleep during these extra few minutes, but snoozing actually makes you more tired when you finally do get out of bed. This is because you likely enter into a sleep cycle you can't complete.
2. Bending as soon as you wake up
While sleeping, our spinal discs absorb fluid as part of a natural rehydration process, causing the discs to expand (which is why sometimes you can actually be a few centimetres taller in the morning). However, this natural process also limits movement of the vertebrae and causes the spine to stiffen. As a result, flexing and bending as soon as your feet hit the ground is not only harder but potentially quite dangerous. Instead, gently stretch out wide and take up the whole bed. Stretching first thing in the morning helps increase flexibility, relieve tension and improve circulation, getting the spine and muscles limbered up.
3. Drinking coffee right away
Yes, this goes against everything we’ve known so far. Caffeine causes a spike in cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Cortisol has a circadian rhythm, with the highest levels naturally occurring 30 to 40 minutes after awakening. Drinking coffee first thing in the morning further increases cortisol and adrenaline levels, potentially manifesting as stress-related symptoms such as elevated heart rate and feelings of anxiety. Although research shows that the impact seems to be less significant in regular caffeine consumers, doctors recommend drinking your first cup of coffee about three hours after waking up.
4. Brushing after breakfast
Another common myth is that brushing your teeth immediately after breakfast is the right thing to do for clean and healthy teeth. However, it seems that brushing your teeth right after eating can actually do more harm than good, especially if you've consumed acidic items like fruit or coffee. Brushing too soon after eating can damage the enamel in its weakened state. So, brush your teeth after you rise but before you eat. Afterwards, you can floss and rinse with water to wash away any food particles, and wait at least half an hour after eating before brushing again.
5. Writing a to-do list
There is a benefit to jotting down floating thoughts on paper to manage anxiety and keep you focused and organised. However, be careful not to overload your to-do list, as it can become stressful if you're overly ambitious and write down more tasks than you can realistically accomplish. Sometimes, people roll over yesterday's unfinished tasks to today’s to-do list, making it even longer and reinforcing the idea that they can't achieve what they set out to do. Excessive planning and obsessing over your goals can trigger anxiety and hinder productivity. It's important to be realistic about what you can accomplish in one day and focus on one task at a time. Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself for your hard work at the end of the day.
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