Should We Really Get Up And Go? How The Slow Morning Counter Movement Could Change Your Day
Setting aside some me time hours before heading out the door can help combat grogginess and set a gentle tone for the rest of your day
Nearly everyone’s day starts with the sound. The violent screech of digital trills ringing out from a phone to draw you into the day. It’s an alarming sound, literally and psychologically, pulling you from slumber and immediately setting your brain into go mode. Whether you hear the sound only once, or you’re a fan of setting multiple alarms in the hopes at least one will draw you out of bed, the sound likely isn’t a welcome one.
Waking up early in the morning isn’t everyone’s favourite thing to do. That is, unless you’re a subscriber to TikTok’s five to nine club and I’m still not convinced that even those people are fans of their daily wake up call. Videos across TikTok show these five to niners, who then go onto work a nine to five, journaling, completing at home work out videos, and making overly-healthy breakfasts in the name of ‘starting the day right!’ The tick-list of what must be done before 9am in order to be an ‘effective’ and ‘fulfilled’ person is exhausting just to watch, let alone even think about completing.
The trend is just the latest in a slew of so-called self-help routines designed with a one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing. Despite the majority of the IRL population lounging around in their PJs and downing coffee to shake off the sleep as they prepare to start their day, online there’s an increasing pressure to ‘make the most’ of your pre-work period and fit in as much personal improvement as you can before then working on your professional improvement throughout the working day.
The prevailing reaction to videos spouting this rhetoric is not all bad, with many commenters giving the uploaders the much needed desire and praise that led to the video being posted in the first place. While some point out the inherent capitalist ideals prompting the trend and the prevalent Molly-Mae-esque sentiment that anyone can do it if they really tried, we do “all have the same 24 hours in a day” remember, many express their wish to fit in at least some of the five to niners tasks before heading out the door. But even if waking up at 5am was a possible or healthy decision for you, the weighty tiredness that keeps most of us snuggled in bed for at least 10 minutes past the ring of an alarm is just too intense to simply power through — no matter how much you jog or journal.
Unlike ads for mattress companies and sleeping aids will have you believe, feeling drowsy when you first wake up is completely normal. The groggy feeling that calls you to pull up the duvet and hunker down below its inviting warmth is called sleep inertia and, according to Jeff Kahn, the co-founder and CEO of Rise Science, it’s an inescapable part of the human sleep cycle and happens to everyone.
Sleep inertia is characterised by low energy levels that can last anywhere up to around two hours after you’ve woken up. This drowsy period is synonymous with poor decision-making, cognition, and performance, and can arise whether last night was the deepest and most peaceful sleep you’ve ever had or if you were woken up every half an hour by noisy neighbours, perceived paranormal activity or wildlife mating in the streets outside. Thanks to the less than desirable traits linked to sleep inertia, namely the noticeable decline in performance and mood after waking up, Khan recommends avoiding any important tasks that require rational cognitive functioning during this groggy window, for example, a job interview or confrontation with a roommate over milk-usage.
So how do we avoid this dangerous morning timeframe to become like the five to niners? In reality, we don’t. But, there is a growing ‘counter movement,’ dubbed as such by the Wall Street Journal, that may welcome us into a healthy middle ground where we can set ourselves up for the day, get stuff done, and also find solace from frenetic everyday routine.
The slow morning is promoted as an antidote to the frenetic everyday lives that so frequently cause stress, anguish, and leave little time for relaxing. Instead of the up-and-at-’em mentality that sees the population stumble out of bed, hurriedly wolf down caffeine and leap out of the door and into work, the slow morning suggests taking your time, really taking your time, to avoid the sense of rush that can carry through into your day and enhance that frenetic mood.
Of course, as the five to niners understand to an extreme, to have a slow morning, you need time. And, unfortunately, that means getting up earlier. But unlike the TikTok crowd, you don’t need hours upon hours to slow down your usual routine, you can dictate how much me time you need to set you up for the day ahead, be that an extra 15 minutes or a full two hours. The idea is to remove the rush; to take things slowly and let yourself wake up gently while doing things you love to bring up your mood.
Your added morning moments might be filled with meditation, yoga, reading or simply some extra time in the shower. You could prepare your favourite breakfast, go for a walk, or write in a journal. Whatever it is that makes you happy is what slow mornings are meant for. These mornings are all about focusing on the self and implementing routines that can reduce stress and promote wellbeing, be that mental, physical or emotional. The idea is that, by starting the day with intention, by showing yourself some appreciation, you are controlling the day, rather than letting it control you.
The gradual wake up involved in slow mornings requires zero-distraction. This is easier said than done. Distraction is everywhere, including on the things that usually wake us up — our phones.
Slower mornings require you to tune into your inherent needs before anyone or anything has had the chance to affect your mood. Checking in with yourself first thing allows you to realise the day’s needs and wants so you can fulfil those needs without an anxiety-inducing rush. But, when gradually warming up to the day, you can quickly reach boiling point with just a quick glance at your phone.
Everyone’s done it. You wake up, you reach for your phone and hit the screen to silence the blaring alarm and, since your hand is already touching it, you can easily pick up the phone and ‘just quickly’ catch up on what you’ve missed while you were dozing. So you check your email, then the weather, then you reply to some messages sent by night owl friends. Then a Twitter notification draws you onto the app and you’re hit by the trending headlines of the day so far. You haven’t even moved from bed, spending 10 minutes, then 20, then half an hour has passed, but it feels like a slow morning — you’re still in bed right? It may be physically slow, but your brain has already consumed way more information than it can process and is already exhausted.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, 55% of smartphone users regularly use their devices to check the news, a statistic only enhanced by social media’s increasing ties with the 24-hour news cycle. It has long been established that exposure to bad news is linked to stress-related emotional responses like anxiety and low levels of optimism. Especially today, with people across the globe linked together like never before thanks to the internet and social media, everyone knows everything that is going on everywhere and everyone is sharing it with their followers on whatever platforms they can. We’re bombarded with information, most of it bad, and while it is obviously important to take notice, doing so right after you wake up is likely to make you feel stressed and anxious for the rest of the day.
There are aspects of the slow morning that may feel chore-like. Ditching the tech, for some, may feel like just that. And while a slow morning is meant to be gentle, with you doing what makes you happy, there is a loose checklist to complete in order to start your day off on the right foot. Making the bed is one of those chores. It may seem like a tiny and unsubstantial way to make yourself feel good but there is a surprising psychological reason as to why it’s a good idea. While he spoke in terms of group discipline and war-time morale, in an oft-repeated quote, retired Navy admiral William H. McRaven once said, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
Similarly, making time for a healthy breakfast can encourage you to carry positive energy and momentum throughout the rest of the day. While most of us skip it (a 2021 survey found that a quarter of adults skip breakfast at least four times a week,) a nutritious breakfast can help boost your metabolism and cognitive function, reduce fatigue and make you less likely to reach for junk foods later in the day. On top of this, just as making the bed can do, taking time to prepare a thoughtful breakfast can also do wonders for us psychologically.
Speaking to Huffington Post Australia, Tim Sharp, psychologist and Chief Happiness Officer at The Happiness Institute, explained, “What we do first thing in the morning typically sets the tone for the rest of the day. A positive start, for example, creates positive energy and momentum, making it more likely you’ll do what you need to do and do it well.
“By eating a healthy breakfast in a positive way, we’re sending a message to ourselves that we respect our bodies, want to take care of our health and wellbeing, and that we deserve to enjoy a good life.” And that’s ultimately what it comes down to. Enjoying a good life. While everyone else is speeding up, rushing around to get onto the next best thing, why not slow down and appreciate the current best thing? Even if it is just for the morning.
