Say 'Good morning' and Mean it

Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! 

One quick question. 

Are mornings
a) annoying
b) the bane of your existence
c) relaxing
d) a lame excuse to drink coffee?

I bet most of you guys answered a, b, or d, right? Don't fret, I'd probably have the same answer too. But what is it about these sacred hours before noon that makes so many people shut the blinds and take refuge under the covers? Is it the oh so familiar voice yelling "Bangon ka na! Tanghali na!" ringing in your ears as your blanket is ferociously taken away from your half awake mind? Maybe it's everyone on social media being all 'Today is such a lovely day! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining! What a wonderful time to appreciate the world' when all you want to do is retreat to the comforts of your blanket, shut the blinds, plug your earphones in, and stay there for five more hours.

Or maybe it's because

• You cannot string coherent sentences and thoughts before 10am
• Public transportation 
• you have 20 alarms with 3 minute intervals and sleep through every single one of them

and frankly, the list could go on and on and on.

I'm not here to discuss why we should hate mornings more (although it's really tempting), I'm going to open up the curtains and show y'all how these early hours can be relaxing instead of the hate we've come to associate it with.

1. Fuel Up!
Whether it's a heaping stack of pancakes, eggs and bacon, french toast, or just plain ol' coffee, it's good for you! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet it's also the most neglected (sounds familiar? Haha kidding). I know it's hard to go all the way to the kitchen and cook up some food when you're still groggy and woah- the bed is calling out your name. Stand your ground, guys. Resist the urge to skip breakfast. It provides energy for the activities during the morning. It also helps prevent that mid-morning slump.

2. Develop a routine
Wake up, eat, then resume being a couch potato. Why not? Technically, it's still a routine. Routines stop you from thinking 'oh great. What now?' feeling every time you wake up. Going through a repetitive process means that you get things done even though you're temporarily in zombie mode.

3. Do something
This is sort of tied to the 'develop a routine' I mentioned a few sentences ago. Routines are pretty confusing, don't you think? This is a detour of that. If you can't develop a pattern, then at least do something relatively productive. Personally, I use the early morning hours for art since the world seems so quiet. Brave the mornings with reading that novel that's been collecting dust on the shelf, or maybe go outside and pick some flowers. Just do something, anything, to jumpstart your day and to keep the productivity (or fun) going.

3. Let the light in
Hey, you! Yes, you. Stop being Dracula and face the music. Drawing the curtains back will not melt you, nor will it make you disintegrate. As a matter of fact, sunlight tells the brain that it's time to wake up.

Keep these things in mind the next morning that you find yourself being a grumpy cat, or a negatron, or a zombie. These things, I hope, will help you see the light (pun intended) of the wonderful blessing that is, of course, a new day.