“I just haaaaate mornings” —How many of us have said that a time or two in our life? I know I used to. But did you know that the morning is actually the most important and influential time of your day?

A lot of us hate mornings because they usually go something like this: Alarm goes off, you hit snooze (at least a couple times) and then finally roll out of bed. You immediately think about how tired you are and all of the dreadful tasks you have to do on this day and the anxiety or stress sets in. You then realize how little time you have to get ready and make it to work, so you rush, rush, rush around your home, doing all of the things you need to do, before running out the door to get to work on time (or even late).

Does this sound familiar at all? This type of morning ‘routine’ is more common than you may think. But this ‘routine’ starts your day off in a horrible way, priming your body for stress, frustration, and anxiety for the rest of the day. Not to mention, there is rarely enough time for food during this rushed and hectic dash to get to work, so we tend to rely on caffeine for energy.

Imagine for a second that you were able to get up a little earlier. You were able to sit down and eat something for breakfast, drink your coffee, get your mind ready for the upcoming day, have a moment of gratitude, and get out the door in a calm manner. Even just reading that statement brings about a sense of calm compared to the hectic morning routine. How you start your day has a vital impact on how the rest of your day will go, how you will react to challenges, and even your ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I know most of us hear “get up earlier” and immediately tune out, knowing that you already have a hard time getting up on time, let alone getting up earlier. But there are ways to adjust your wake-up time without feeling like you’re waking up at 3am. I recommend to my clients to start small- start waking up 5-10 minutes earlier for a week or two, and then add to that time once your body adapts to the earlier wakeups. Yes, you will likely also have to get in bed a little earlier too. But if you are able to shift your sleeping schedule in this kind of way, it can dramatically impact your overall health and wellness in a positive way.