The Perfect Morning Routine of Balance, Calm and Energy

Getting the morning right sets the tone for your entire day. Do you want to be calm and focused or frazzled and irritated?

In the early hours of the morning, while we are still asleep, our stress hormone, cortisol, starts to rise. The day is about to begin, and our body’s diurnal rhythm activates cortisol production to prepare us for the day ahead.

Some of us wake up with an overshoot of cortisol. All it takes is hitting the snooze button too many times, knowing you will have to rush to get out the door, or a toddler screaming at 6 AM for who knows what reason to trigger the stress response.

To avoid excessive stress being perceived by the body, we want to support a healthy cortisol rise when we wake up.

It's a little like Goldilocks—not too little and not too much cortisol, just the right amount. What we do in the morning plays a significant role in how the body responds.

Rushing to get ourselves, and for some of us, our children, out the door in the morning is a common story. We down a coffee in place of breakfast or eat a quick carb-heavy breakfast consisting of toast or cereal. Some people skip morning exercise, and many of us battle peak-hour traffic to get to work.

All of these factors signal to the body that there is more to be stressed about. Coffee revs the adrenal glands and stimulates our nervous system, placing us in fight-or-flight mode, as do the quick-sugar foods like white bread toast and cereals.

Starting our day in a calm and relaxed way sets us up to be less reactive to the stress we encounter throughout the day. Ideally, we will wake up and stabilise our cortisol levels rather than have them spiking.

We also want to regulate our blood sugar levels to stabilise our stress response.

Here are my top three tips for a smoother start to your day:

1. Be Organised

?? Get up earlier to avoid rushing around, and prepare for the next day the night before. Know what you have planned with a list, lay out your clothes, prepare school lunch boxes, and have breakfast prep done the night before.

2. Meditate on Rising

?? Meditation has almost become a non-negotiable in the social climate we live in. The busyness of our lives and internal dialogues means we have to consciously create time to rest and empty our minds of thoughts.

3. Eat a Protein-Containing Breakfast

?? By choosing a protein-based breakfast like eggs, protein powder in a smoothie, or porridge packed with nuts and seeds, you help reduce cortisol and regulate blood sugar levels.

Wishing you a calm and balanced day!?