Sidenote: The cupcakes in my photo have absolutely NOTHING to do with boring morning routines. I just thought it was a really pretty, fun picture on my camera roll so I decided to use it for this post! Aren’t they delicious? Anyways…
Sometimes I hate waking up early in the morning. Correction: I hate getting out of my nice, warm bed early in the morning. Waking up at 7a.m. to get ready for class can be such a mundane routine, and the list of things I’d much rather be doing goes on and on! Despite the drawl occurrence, I have found a few ways to actually make getting out of bed in the morning much cooler. No, seriously! I actually like, and maybe even look forward to, waking up early just because of a few small changes I’ve been making for a while now.
So you’re probably wondering what *magical* things I do to make some of the most boring morning activities surprisingly appealing. Sadly, there’s no actual unicorn magic involved here. But you can use your cool college student powers (that was totally the most bogus thing I’ve ever made up, and so to quit while I’m still ahead I’m just going to cut to the tips now!).
1. Play music while you shower.
Instead of listening to the water trickle from the showerhead in the morning, I like to listen to some Beyonce, Pitbull, and some of my other favorite artists. It really just makes me happier and makes me feel more lively and ready to take on the day. Plus, I also use the songs as a way to tell approximately how much time I’ve spent showering. I adore really long showers, but I can’t spend a lot of time showering because I have class to get to. Plus, it’s inconsiderate because my suite mates would need to get ready to start their days as well and I wouldn’t want to hog the bathroom. Each song I listen to is approximately three minutes long so I make sure that I don’t stay in the shower for longer than three songs. Btw, you don’t have to pay money for music — just use Pandora or another free music service! My post on how to save money in college has even more tips for not completely ruining your bank account in college!
2. Wash your face with a really nice smelling facial cleanser.
There are so many delicious smelling facial cleansers now from brands like Neutrogena and Olay. They all smell so yummy that it makes me so happy to use them in the morning! It even improves my mood if I wasn’t feeling so great before. Maybe the nice smells release endorphins in your brain or something (this is why I’m not a science major!). I currently use a facial cleanser from Neutrogena® for acne because it was recommended by my dermatologist and, unfortunately, it doesn’t have any distinct, beautiful smell (*sad face*) but I have tried the grapefruit line from Neutrogena® and the the Morning Burst® line from Clean & Clear® and both are heavenly!! A good facial wash is also one of the things I mentioned in my college beauty essentials post because it’s such an easy way to clean your face and get totally refreshed in the morning before class. What’s your favorite facial wash right now? I’d love to hear what you guys are using!
3. Create a breakfast tradition.
Is there one specific place on campus you just love eating breakfast at? If you can, make it a habit to go there and order your favorite breakfast items to start the day right and satisfyingly. Don’t succumb to the bad habit of not leaving yourself enough time in the morning to have an actual meal — this can actually ruin your day because you’ll be hungry and in a miserable mood. My favorite place to have breakfast is at my school’s Starbucks because I love ordering an iced green tea latte with an everything bagel with cream cheese. Perfecto! Another breakfast “tradition” you can do is simply having “pancake day” with your roommate or suite mates. Your group can get together and make and enjoy pancakes together. Plus, this is a great way to bond and get to know each other better. You’ll definitely look forward to these food-filled mornings!
4. Walk to class with friends.
If someone who lives on your floor in the residence hall is also in your first class of the day, introduce yourself and walk to class with them. Walking across campus by yourself is really boring and not very fun. Having someone to talk to can really lift your spirits and make you feel really good about going to class — even if it’s at eight in the morning! Plus, having a friend to sit with in class can also make the class itself more enjoyable — especially when you have to sit through six straight hours of lectures all day long!
Also, if your schedule is nauseatingly long and tiring this semester, be sure to check out my post on how to survive back-to-back classes.
5. Change up your hairstyle regularly.
I don’t know about you but my *super diverse* lookbook for hairstyles consists of my hair let down or in a really simple ponytail. Clearly, I’m super creative when it comes to styling my hair. Taking a little extra time to have fun with your hair in the morning can really make you feel more excited to go out and start the day so everyone can see how cool your hair looks and compliment you (compliments are always nice to hear, haha!). Plus, you get something pretty to show off on Instagram! I actually would like to start varying my hairstyles more to make things a little more fun. There are so many interesting ways to add a little pizzazz to a simple bun, braid, or ponytail and I’d definitely like to start trying them out!
6. Do ANYTHING that’s a little out of the ordinary for you!
Go for a quick jog before you start class. Do some yoga in your room to loosen up before you start the day. Go to the most peaceful spot on campus and just sit there and chill for a few moments — do ANYTHING that you wouldn’t normally do! Changing things up a bit can be really exciting, especially if you initially think you won’t like the change but you end up loving it. Personally, I think I might try to do some yoga in the morning because I feel like yoga is very out of my element; the movements are slow, controlled, and graceful, but I’m used to very fast-paced workouts so this would be an extremely interesting change for me. I might end up liking it and I may decide to include it permanently in my daily routine!
What’s your favorite way to spend the morning? Also, I’m looking for new hairstyle ideas! Let me know in the comments if you have any!
