Feeling overwhelmed from the second you wake up? That’s not at all uncommon. Plenty of people feel frazzled even when their day hasn’t yet begun. According to research, cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone” is highest in people dealing with stress during the first hour after waking up. This can lead to a condition called morning anxiety, which can affect you physically and mentally.
Fortunately, it’s easy to simplify your mornings and make them more blissful than ever. Arm yourself for the long day ahead with these tips:
Establish a work uniform
One of the most common issues that plague people in the morning is getting dressed for the day! You’re forced to make decisions in rapid succession just picking out your outfit, which can lead to something called decision fatigue. From here, you may find yourself mentally exhausted long before you step out the door.
Putting together a capsule wardrobe for work can be a great solution. A capsule wardrobe is composed of timeless, high-quality pieces that you can freely and easily interchange for a wide variety of looks without sacrificing your personal style. It’s especially helpful to those who find themselves with little time to dress in the morning–you can just grab whatever happens to be on top in your closet and it’ll go with everything else, seamlessly.
The ideal work capsule collection is composed of:
- 5 to 10 work-appropriate tops
- An assortment of long-sleeved and short-sleeved basic t-shirts
- A small selection of jackets, including blazers and tweed jackets
- Work-appropriate trousers
- 1 or 2 work-appropriate dresses; 2 to 5 work-appropriate skirts
- Cute everyday jewelry and accessories
When putting together a work capsule wardrobe, go for pieces in neutral colors, which will help keep things from clashing. For your everyday jewelry, stick to minimalist pieces, such as the ones found on Honeycat Jewelry. Dainty and exquisite, their offerings are subtle yet statement-making. They’re great for the consummate minimalist, and will go with almost anything you wear for work.
Prep your meals ahead of time
Setting yourself up to conquer the day starts the night before. Meal prepping is a great way to shave precious minutes off your morning routine, giving you more time to decompress and prepare yourself for what lies ahead. You’ll also have more time to focus on the things that you need to do when you don’t have to think about what to have for breakfast or lunch.
To start your day off strong, go with a protein-rich breakfast and make sure that you’re getting in enough carbohydrates for that much-needed energy boost. It’s a good idea to stock up on food that’s easy to put together in the morning, too. You won’t believe how good and full you’ll feel from a simple bowl of oatmeal, cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola, or a morning smoothie.
Follow a morning routine
Routines create structure, which can benefit your mental health in a big way. They help your brain know what’s going to happen next, thus contributing greatly to reducing those cortisol levels.
Following a routine is easy, and you can structure it any way you want. From there, try to wake up at the same time every morning and then follow your routine exactly the same way, every day. What do you do first when you wake up? Do you work out? Do you take a shower first and then have breakfast next, or is it the other way around? List these tasks out in chronological order and put it somewhere you’ll see it first thing in the morning until you get used to the routine and stop needing it.
For a great selection of stylish everyday jewelry and accessories, visit Honeycat Jewelry now.
