How to start your day stress-free

As working women, or working people, we are so vulnerable to burning out, because we are bombarded with stress and stimulation constantly. And it starts, for many of us, literally from the moment we wake up.

Start by assessing your morning routine . . .

Take a moment to think about your morning routine .  . . does it start with being jarred awake by an alarm clock? Hopping out of bed to start getting ready for your day? Maybe hurrying to commute over to work? Are you stimulated by electronic devices, like your cellphone, tablet, or computer, early-on in your day?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you are probably setting yourself up to be stressed out.

There’s a good change you start your day in fight-or-flight mode . . .

For many of us, we literally wake up in a stress state; and if we start our day from a place of stress, it increases the likelihood that stress will follow us throughout our day.

Tackling your morning stressors and creating a new morning routine is a great way to reduce your vulnerability to stress.

One simple tool to start your day stress-free: the dawn-simulating alarm clock . . .

One tool I recommend to my clients all of the time . . . the dawn stimulating alarm clock.

I have been using a dawn simulating alarm clock for years, and I can attest -- this is a game changer for starting your day stress free.

While it may not necessarily work for every person and situation, it’s a simple and easy strategy that take minimal effort (making it a great starting point for burnt-out, overwhelmed, working professionals)

Why dawn-simulating alarm clocks = less stressful mornings . . .

Here is why it works . . . As human beings, we are not programmed to wake up from a place of startle. When you are sleeping, and you wake up to a traditional alarm clock, it pushes your body into fight or flight response. And that is the very first experience you have in your day.

When you start your day in fight-or-flight, everything else that follows in, potentially comes from that same response. Think about it . . .

If we were primitive people, and we were living in caves or in tribal societies, and we were startled awake, it would be because something was literally trying to eat us, or someone was trying to steal our food. (Basically, it would be because bad things are happening.)

This fight-or-flight response is fantastic when you are in a legitimate life-or-death situation, but is not so helpful when you’re waking up to go to work in the morning.

Waking ourselves up in a stress-state, when we can use tools to avoid this, is one of the most ineffective things we can do (if our goal is to be less stressed).

And if you don’t believe me, believe my husband. He has adult ADHD and tells people all the time, he is a nicer person and has had a more productive morning routine, ever since he bought his first dawn-simulating alarm clock almost 10 years ago.

How dawn-simulating alarm clocks work . . .

What does a dawn simulating alarm clock do?

Dawn simulating alarm clocks range in their features, but all of them simulate a sunrise. They do this by gradually turning on a warm light that increases intensity over time, usually anywhere from 30-60 minutes. This tricks your brain into thinking that you woke up naturally, even though you didn't. The alarm clocks also tend to feature a back-up alarm, in case the light itself isn’t enough, and you can choose from a number of soothing sounds (like tweeting birds, ocean waves, etc).

And why that matters, is you're going to wake up from a much more calm and grounded place, leaving you less vulnerable to stress.

How to choose a dawn-simulating alarm clock . .

If you’re ready to invest in a dawn simulating alarm clock, and need help making the best choice, this review from The New York Times has some great suggestions: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-sunrise-alarm-clock/

Need more support or ideas?

If you have more questions about dawn stimulating alarm clocks, or other ways to proactively protect yourself. from stress, comment below or email me at nikolai@ompowermentpsych.com.