Mornings
What’s your relationship like with the morning? Is it something that excites you, calms you, or stresses you out? Even if we like to imagine our ideal morning routines book-ended with yin yoga and a hot cup of coffee, in reality, we don’t all have a positive relationship with the morning, especially weekday ones. This week I’m exploring mornings, my experience with early morning wake-ups, and how we can develop a better relationship with this important part of the day.
Quote of the week
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ― Buddha
The power of morning routines
Ah, the sun rises, filtering a soft morning glow through the window, helping to lower our melatonin levels, and letting us know it’s time to shift gears into being awake. Our brain waves transition from slow delta and theta waves to faster alpha and beta waves1, and we move from slumber into wakefulness.
Nearly any self-help productivity guru will tell you that you need to make the most of your morning and morning routine if you’re going to set yourself up for success for the rest of the day. In the book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, Okinawan centenarians swear by getting up early in the morning. My grandma gets up early to have her breakfast and read the paper. My friend in Queensland gets up early to run along the beach.
Photo by César Couto on Unsplash
Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest of Kenkoji Temple of the Soto Zen sect. and the author of "Zen Habits for Resilient Mind" shares how he finds the key to "small happiness” in the Zen concept of nyuunanshin2 (柔軟心) and the mornings. Nyuunanshin means to embrace a supple spirit or growth mindset, even in the face of change. By allowing yourself time and space in the morning he believes we can better channel this growth mindset. At the most basic level, he says that we can be thankful that “I woke up today”, since it’s possible that one day we won’t wake up at all. However, for all the great things said about mornings, there seems to be a catch. Why is it so hard to get up?
Why is my “Morning Routine” not working?
Even though mornings are powerful, they don’t seem to be on everyone’s side. Some people can get up almost reflexively in response to or before their alarm clock (that’s a solid circadian rhythm right there), while others take a good dose of hitting the snooze button before actually getting up. If you’re a self-acclaimed “night owl” and find yourself to be more creative late at night and sleep in during the morning for example, there’s a chance that your chronotype, or your natural inclination for your body to sleep at a certain time, could be the reason.
Even though I’ve thought of myself as more of a morning person than a night person, if I’m being honest, lately I’ve felt like neither. During my middle and high school years, I could get up early and manage to pack in a full day of dance, school, and extracurriculars. Yet recently, I’ve been struggling to get up early consistently and my ideal morning routine seems to be slipping away… I find I’m only giving myself enough time to get up, get changed, and head out the door. It makes me feel as though I’m just getting by and not making the most of my mornings.
This is what my evening-to-morning flow currently looks like:
I’m motivated to get up early the night before
I set my alarm
I go to sleep
I hit snooze when my alarm goes off
I don’t get up early
I’m annoyed at myself for not getting up early
I think part of the reason my morning routine isn’t working is because my ‘why’ for getting up in the morning is not so clear. I’m motivated to get up, but I haven’t laid it out for myself in easy steps. And I’m not so sure I trust my still-in-slumber, delta-wave-driven brain to make the right decisions for me. So, considering this an experiment - what variables can I change to get a different outcome?
Three elements that can help to improve our mornings
1. Why: Your reason for getting up early
Anne-Laure Le Cunff, a neuroscience researcher, writer, and the founder of Ness Labs, considers writing as part of a positive feedback loop for getting up each morning. She shares, “While each article I write is just that — an article — every time I hit publish, this simple action compounds to build a life that makes me want to get up in the morning.” While my ‘why’ in general has been a little blurry lately, I’ve decided that for me, getting up early signifies a chance to get in tune with my mind and my body, and to create a sense of calm before I head out into my day. The morning is also ideally a time when I can deepen a sense of ‘why’ through my writing, outside of the 9 to 5.
2. How: Enjoying your morning
Photo: Emma Launder
Using the power of positive psychology, I can ask myself “What would make me want to get up earlier in the morning?” I imagine stretching on the yoga mat so that my body feels lengthened, drinking a bowl of matcha tea, and perhaps even savouring some fresh morning scents (some studies suggest aromas of coffee, rosemary3, sage4, and peppermint5 can help with alertness). While there’s not much point aiming for the “perfect” morning, having little elements that make you feel happy can be very worthwhile.
Shunmyo Masuno believes that in order to practice nyuunanshin or a growth mindset, you should allow yourself an extra 30 minutes in the morning. In the first 10 minutes, open the curtains and breathe deeply. In the following 10 minutes, sit and meditate. In the final 10 minutes, clean your surroundings as this will help clear your mind as well.
3. Accountability for getting up
If we think of the times that we do wake up early, it’s often when someone is counting on us for it (work, responsibilities, or perhaps catch-ups with friends). For example, last weekend, I joined my partner and his group for surfing in Chiba, which meant we needed to be at the pick-up spot by 6:30am. We set the alarm for 5:30am, got ready to leave by 6:00am, and met our friends by 6:30am. It felt great to get up early enough that we were out on the waves by 9:00am. Our reason was clear - if we were going to make it on time to pick up our friends, we’d have to get up by 5:30am. We were held accountable and matched with the positive outcome of a seaside detox in good company.
How I’m experimenting with my mornings
Well, if only I’d feel motivated to get up like it’s a beach day every day. As Youtuber Matt D’Avella says in his video on getting up early, it’s easy to get motivated the night before but without a plan, it’s hard to follow through. So what can I do to make it easier? Currently, I’m experimenting with something like this:
Night before:
Set a recurring alarm for 7:00am
Place my alarm clock on the other side of the room
Place my water bottle next to the alarm
Set up my clothes next to a yoga mat
Write out my to-do list of 3 things I aim to get done in the morning
Morning routine:
Turn off the alarm
Drink a glass/ bottle of water
Open the curtains
Wash my face
Stretch for 10 minutes on my yoga mat
Make matcha, have breakfast, and clean the kitchen
Probably more than anything though, it’s important to take things step by step so that we can build a habit. That’s something I’m reminding myself; habits take time. For any of us trying to build a better morning routine, let’s consider each day as an experiment and do what we can to improve incrementally.
Here’s to striving for the little changes each morning and each day to appreciate our wakeful moments, hopefully with more peace and intention.
Be Well,
Emma
Mindfully, Tokyo is a written series on mindfulness, purposeful living, and creativity, to help you navigate work and life in Tokyo. In times when the world moves faster by the minute, it takes courage to slow down, to appreciate the little things, and to be in tune with ourselves and our surroundings. Let’s explore living mindfully in our digital era, learn about the Japanese way of living, and embrace the tides together.
References
1 Summer, J. (2024, April 1). Alpha waves and sleep. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/alpha-waves-and-sleep
2 小さな幸せの鍵は「柔軟心」と朝にあり。 枡野俊明さん（住職・庭園デザイナー）. 家庭画報.com. (n.d.). https://www.kateigaho.com/article/detail/101920
3 Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2013). Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Scientia pharmaceutica, 81(2), 531–542.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23833718/
4 Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2013). Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Scientia pharmaceutica, 81(2), 531–542.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23833718/
5 Moss, M., Hewitt, S., Moss, L., & Wesnes, K. (2008). Modulation of cognitive performance and mood by aromas of peppermint and ylang-ylang. The International journal of neuroscience, 118(1), 59–77.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207450601042094
