For my entire life I've never been a morning person. In fact, I’ve disliked mornings since I can remember. My mom used to call me Sleeping Beauty when I was young, and if you ever talked to me in the morning you'd be greeted with a not so friendly growl. Fortunately, this is all in the past for me now, and I have become a morning bird. The transformation from grouch to Miss Sunshine wasn’t all that easy, but worth every bit of effort. Becoming a morning person has truly changed my life for the better. I have felt an increase in positivity and productivity by starting my day at an earlier and more consistent time. I highly recommend on trying to wake up earlier; it is truly an investment for your day. Don’t limit yourself by thinking you could never be an early riser, because that was me for most of my life.

Photo: Dawid Zawiła on Usplash

There are two essential keys on becoming a morning person: developing routine and being consistent about it. Listed below are some tips on what your routine might consist of, and how to maintain it.

1. Try to always make sure you get around eight hours of sleep. If you ever want to become a morning person, you have to get a good amount of sleep in. Sleep specialists recommend around eight hours as a healthy average. In fact, sleeping too much can cause depression, weight gain, and cause early aging for the brain.

2. Keep your alarm clock away from your bed. Then you'll be forced to get up in the morning and do not hop back in bed.

3. Do not hit snooze. Just don’t do it. It is unhealthy to keep falling back asleep during the morning and waking up five minutes later. This will also disrupt your constancy.

4. Play music, exercise or stretch. Playing some tunes in the morning can be an early motivator. Try stretching while listening allowing your body to loosen and your mind to wake. Exercising in the morning is also an extremely health beneficial habit to have.  It can help your mental health, immune system, weight loss, and increase bone density.

6. Keep a dream journal. This has personally helped me wake up in the morning and has allowed me to have more control in my dreams. Right after I wake up, I write down everything I can remember about my dreams. I have discovered they have even become more vivid because of it.

I hope these tips will help you become the best version of yourself in the morning, and to enjoy the gifts that a morning has to offer.