Have a wonderful day.

As I have mentioned numerous times on this blog, I am so not a morning person. I never have been, and I probably never will be. I generally do my best work and thinking in the afternoon or evening.

However, because I’m a student and employee, I have to be up at a reasonable hour for classes and work. Yes, this is the real world, people. I haven’t found a way around this yet, so I figured that I had better get used to it.

Here are five ways to help you feel a bit better in the morning, aka not in “kill mode,” as I usually am {Note: I’m still working on implementing some of these myself. It’s slowly getting easier.}:

1.) Make sure you’re getting at LEAST seven hours of good sleep per night. You will feel much better in the morning if you’re actually getting adequate sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep, here are a few things to do to ensure better sleep: make sure that your room is cool (but not too cool), dark, and relatively quiet. Quit checking your phone or your laptop or iPad — having any kind of electronic screen on will only hinder your efforts. If you reside in a noisy dorm or apartment, try creating your own “white noise.” I’ve become accustomed to sleeping with a fan and soft music {my Death Cab for Cutie Pandora station}, and if you have to make white noise of your own, that’s fine. Just find some way to ensure that you’re able to sleep soundly. And if you need to, take some melatonin (a natural supplement that can be found over the counter at any drugstore) about thirty minutes before bed. I’ve found that it helps me sleep deeper as well. And finally, remember to keep a regulated sleeping schedule; that can help much more than you’ll expect. For example, I try to get in bed by 11:00pm every night, and make sure that I’m awake around 7:00am every day, regardless of what I have to do. I know that it’s hard to keep a normal routine as a college student; we all have weird schedules. But if you have classes at 9:00am on one morning and none until noon the next day, make sure you’re still waking up and going to bed around the same time every day. Feeling adequately rested makes a huge difference when you are forced to get out of your cozy, warm bed in the early hours of the morning.

2.) Save yourself some time and grief by being prepared before you go to bed. Set out what outfit you plan on wearing the next day. I find that taking the time to plan out what you want to wear ahead of time makes things much easier when you’re stumbling out of bed all groggy at 6:30am. I’m generally thinking clearer at night when I plan the outfit, so there’s less chance of me looking like a total moron the next morning. I also get my coffee and cereal bowl ready to go so that all of my breakfast-related items are in one place and ready to go when I wake up. In addition, I get my books and materials for classes or work all in one place and ready for me to grab when I’m running out the door.

3.) Create a morning ritual that is at least somewhat enjoyable. It’s your morning, so you get to pick whatever you want to make it a little less {pardon my French} shitty. For me, it’s having my cup of coffee and listening to music while I’m getting ready. It doesn’t matter what you do; just find a way to make the routine kind of fun, and then you’ll have more of a reason to get out of those cozy covers.

4.) Create a calming, peaceful, and enjoyable environment. Before you go to bed each night, make sure that your living space {particularly your bedroom} is free of clutter. Studies have proven that clutter is bad for us as humans, so make your best effort to straighten up most of your areas the night before, so that when you wake up, you aren’t bombarded by the clutter. Knowing that your living space is clean and clutter-free will cause your mind to feel more at ease when you go to bed, too. Additionally, make sure that the space in which you occupy is a space that you love. If you live in a prison cell of a dorm room, spruce your room up with fun posters, string lights, etc. Whatever you do, your space should be comfortable, inviting, and most of all, it should fit who you are and what you want to be.

5.) Got something on your mind? Write it down before you go to bed. I usually have trouble falling asleep because my mind won’t shut off. Why does my mind usually fail to shut off? Well, it’s generally because I’m worried that I’ll end up forgetting something that I have to do the next day. So what I’ve done to combat this is write a small to-do list of everything I need to take care of within the next day or several days. This relieves the stress on my brain, allowing me to fall asleep faster and more soundly.

What do you do to make your sleeping and waking up routine less of a pain in the rear?

Here’s one of my typical dorm room breakfasts. It’s nothing fancy, but it works. It is tasty and relatively healthy, and it is something to look forward to each morning.

Breakfast of Champions: banana oatmeal, golden delicious apple, organic chocolate milk, and a good ol' cup of coffee.

Sometimes my breakfasts vary – for example, sometimes I’ll have a banana in place of an apple. Or sometimes I won’t necessarily eat fruit. But the point is, I always make sure that I at least get a bowl of cereal and guzzle a quick cup of coffee {Keurig Mini coffee makers are a Godsend!} before heading out each morning. I learned how important breakfast is the hard way, so I can tell you from personal experience that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

As for lunch, here’s an example of what I’ll pack if I know I won’t have time to hit up the dining halls during the day.

Apple sauce, cheese and oyster crackers {for vegetarian chili on the right}, trail nut/dried fruit mix, string cheese, and broccoli.

A few notes about the above photo: See the bright green and teal little cups that I have the shredded cheese, crackers, and trail mix in? Those are square silicone baking cups, and they make my life much easier {and more fun}. They’re great for helping with portion control, plus they add a fun burst of color to any lunch box. I am kind of doing a Japanese “Bento” style lunch box here, and it’s kinda fun to do, plus it saves me from buying Ziploc baggies all the time. Also, I should note that making vegetarian chili in the crockpot is super easy and dorm-friendly! {I will post the recipe for that sometime later.}

It is extremely important that we, as college students, make a point to eat healthy, and in particular, make time for several small meals and snacks throughout the day. As busy undergraduate students, I know it’s difficult to even think about food when we’re stressing out over classes, papers, labs, and our social lives, but keeping our bodies and minds properly fueled is so important, and I have a feeling that many of us often forget just how important it truly is … So with all that being said, please take a look at your diets this week and see what you’re putting into your body. You may be surprised by how much better you feel when you make the conscious effort to get a small, healthy snack, or at least taking the time to sit down for lunch once a day.

What do you like to pack in your breakfasts/lunches when you know you won’t have time to go to the dining hall?