Mornings set the tone for the day, and what you do at the start determines how the rest unfolds. For a positive day avoid certain activities that are bad for your anxiety because they really can throw off your groove!
Are you ready to learn how to avoid these morning pitfalls for a brighter start?
When you wake up to a new day, that fresh optimism is quite literally the start of everything. But due to how busy we are in life, many of us pick up some bad habits that follow us into the morning.
So much so that we turn away from them simply because they help us be ahead of everyone else despite knowing the real damage they cause us.
They may not hurt you now but these bad morning habits could be impacting your physical and mental well-being. Recognize and change them before it’s too late.
Read more here: How To Wake Up Refreshed And Rested: 5 Tips That Actually Work
9 Morning Activities That Are Bad For Your Health And Anxiety
1. You Check Your Phone Right Away
The smartphone has an addictive allure. But diving into the noise of messages and notifications as soon as you wake up can overload your brain and start your day with more anxiety than you need.
Give yourself time to ease into the day without digital distractions.
What You Can Do Instead? Delay Digital Consumption
Start by avoiding messages or Instagram for 20 minutes, until you’re ready to kickstart your day. The world will still be there and now you’ll be ready to face it, even more!
2. You Check The News
That’s what everyone does, right? Not exactly. Starting the day with news can take a toll on our mental health since most of the information we see is negative.
This could cause your positivity to plummet before you even get out of bed. This is why experts recommend against reading the news as soon as we wake up. It simply messes everything up.
What You Can Do Instead? Finish Other Tasks First
Catching up on news and knowing what is happening around us is necessary, but only after we complete our morning routine and are more alert to handle it. If you can’t resist though, just read headlines to filter the news to focus on.
Read more here: What Is Morning Depression? 10 Common Signs and Treatment
3. You Wake Up Tired
If you get a good night’s sleep, you will have a really nice cortisol awakening response. And that can be its own physical jumpstart for the day, Dr. Bonior explains.
If you don’t get that cortisol awakening response (which you won’t if you don’t sleep well), it means that afternoon, when you get to the point where you should be resting, you’re still catching up.
So your body needs rest to function optimally, and not getting enough sleep is an easy way to spike anxiety levels
What You Can Do Instead? Prioritize Enough Sleep
Create a routine around bedtime and limit screen time before bed. Make sure you actually get 7-9 hours of quality sleep for mental well-being & support.
4. You Start With Caffeine Overdose
We love our cup of coffee in the morning just as much as anyone else, but when you’re flooding your system with caffeine you’re only making your life harder.
This is one of the activities that are bad for your health as it stimulates the nervous system and makes it difficult to handle stress later on in the day (specifically when it comes to work).
You can’t develop anxiety from drinking too much coffee, but it does make symptoms worse. For those diagnosed with panic disorder, research shows that caffeine consumption raises the risk of having a panic attack and increases levels of anxiety.
What You Can Do Instead? Limit Caffeine Intake
Try to swap out the coffee for a herbal tea or water. Doing this will help reduce the stimulants and make it easier to manage anxiety levels.
5. You Hit The Snooze Button
The habit of hitting snooze on your alarm clock is one of the worst morning habits for anxiety. You deprive yourself of valuable time to prepare yourself and get ready for the day, adding to your stress.
Not only this, but you’re missing out on what we should be working on. Hitting snooze disrupts our sleep inertia.
What You Can Do Instead? Have A Consistent Sleep Cycle
Try sleeping earlier or setting an alarm so that you can wake up feeling refreshed. You should work on not snoozing that alarm and improving your sleep cycle.
6. You Regularly Skip Breakfast Or Meals
Do you not eat before you start your day? Well, this might be one of the bad activities that are bad for your health and may be making you anxious.
Starting the day feeling airy and irritated is no way to go. Being hangry can ruin any morning routine, and to add to that stress, you shouldn’t be drinking caffeine on an empty stomach either.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, caffeine can raise blood pressure and cause your heart to feel like it’s beating too fast or skipping beat making matters worse as it increases anxiety.
What You Can Do Instead? Create Regular Meal Times
Plan balanced meals and snacks throughout the day to stabilize blood sugar levels, provide a steady source of energy, and reduce stress. Make time for a nutritious breakfast to kick-start your day on a positive note.
7. You Don’t Exercise in The Morning
Something else to add to your list of bad morning activities is not exercising, and the effects may not become noticeable until you get older.
Making exercise part of our mornings is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Not only does it make us more physically and mentally productive, but a morning workout can boost metabolism which will keep us fit and reduce chances of anxiety.
What Can You Do Instead? Incorporate Exercise
A lot of us aren’t able to exercise for an hour every day, but there’s good news! A short 15-20 minutes a day can have just about the same effect. You need to get your body moving and keep your heart rate up. This will help boost your mood and alleviate those anxious thoughts.
8. You Smoke In The Morning
People smoke with the idea that it helps them cope with stress. But evidence has shown that just isn’t true, smoking is one of the activities that are bad for your health and only raises anxiety and tension.
Nicotine creates a sense of relaxation at first, hence why people think it’s helping them. But, it’s actually making it worse!
What You Can Do Instead? Start A Positive Habit
Find something else to do when you’re feeling anxious. Read a book, listen to music, or work on something that makes you happy. If you have symptoms of withdrawal then try nicotine replacement therapies like gum or patches. These will help with cravings as you wean yourself off smoking.
9. You Start Your Day With Negative Self-Talk
The way you start your day shapes the atmosphere for the hours to come. One of the activities that are bad for your anxiety, is telling yourself that you’re not “good enough” . repetitively. Your critical inner voice can cause you to start your day on a negative note.
What You Can Do Instead? Positive Morning Affirmations
One of the most effective ways to live a happier life is by using positive affirmation. It’s simple, yet so powerful. Starting your day off by acknowledging your strengths and having an optimistic outlook will make a world of difference.
Read more here: 8 Morning Routine Habits That Will Make You More Disciplined
Shaping Your Mornings For Less Anxiety
Making slight changes to your worst morning habits can significantly impact your anxiety levels. A fresh perspective and a commitment to a more serene morning routine can go a long way.
So why not start tomorrow? Your mental health could benefit from it! If you want to keep adding to activities that are bad for your anxiety, then leave a comment down below!
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