It’s 6:30 am, and the alarm on your phone is going off. You roll over to turn it off and notice you already have several notifications. You promise yourself you’re just going to respond to that one text from your sister and put your phone down. Then you see you have a Slack DM from your boss that you want to address. After that, an Apple News alert catches your eye and you end up doom-scrolling on Twitter for a bit. Before you know it, 30 minutes have gone by, and you’re left feeling anxious, drained and scatterbrained before you even brush your teeth.
Reaching for your phone right when you wake up is an all-too-common habit — and one a lot of people would like to kick. By engaging with our devices first thing in the morning, we “run the risk of being exposed to negative or stressful information” that can lead to worry and overstimulation, therapist Annisa Pirasteh, owner of Act2Change Therapy & Wellness Center in Atlanta, told HuffPost.
“This robs us of the opportunity to start our morning with ourselves, away from the noise of the world,” she said. “We all deserve time at the start of the day to hear our own thoughts and feel our own feelings.”
“This robs us of the opportunity to start our morning with ourselves, away from the noise of the world.”
- Annisa Pirasteh, therapist
When you start your day on your phone, “You are pulled into the agenda of others, consuming others’ requests, news and socials, which can make you reactive rather than creative,” said U.K. psychologist and wellbeing specialist Lee Chambers. Sometimes, this one small decision ends up negatively impacting your mood for the rest of the day.
We asked experts for tips about how to break this troublesome morning habit. Read their suggestions below:
Use an alarm clock (that isn’t your phone)
It’s easier to avoid getting pulled into your phone’s vortex when you’re not touching it first thing in the morning.
“Using an alarm clock that isn’t a multifunction device removes the temptation to use all the features,” Chambers said.
If you don’t already have an alarm clock, you can buy a simple, inexpensive one or consider investing in a sunrise alarm clock that uses light — and, depending on the model, sometimes gentler sounds — to gradually wake you up.
Keep your phone in another room at night
When you’re not relying on your phone to wake you up, you can leave it somewhere other than your bedroom overnight. This, too, will reduce the odds of you grabbing it first thing in the morning.
“Another helpful option is to power off your phone and leave it in another room so that it is out of sight and hopefully out of mind,” executive coach Naz Beheshti, founder of Prananaz Corporate Wellness Solutions, told HuffPost.
“Remember, your phone, emails, notifications, news and social media will still be there after you have attended to the most critical needs: you and your well-being,” she added.
Plus, putting your phone somewhere else at night makes it less likely that you’ll end up mindlessly scrolling before bed, which will improve your sleep, Chambers said.
Pick a morning ritual that lights you up
Give yourself something enjoyable to look forward to right when you get up so you’re less likely to turn to your phone for distraction, Pirasteh suggested. That might mean making yourself a soothing cup of tea, writing in your journal or cracking open a good book. If you have kids, you might set your alarm 15 minutes before your little ones usually get up so you can sneak in a quick stretch or meditation. Essentially, you’re replacing the not-so-great habit with a healthier one.
“Many of my clients create rituals that include going outside for five to 10 minutes each morning to observe nature and feel the sun on their skin, diffusing essential oils, listening to music that makes them feel happiness, joy or calm, and drinking or eating something nourishing,” she said.
Beheshti takes a similar approach with her clients. First she asks them if they want to take control of their day, or be controlled by their electronic devices? Then she prompts them to come up with one meaningful thing they can do to start their day that makes them feel good.
“For example, I use the RPM method. I rise, pee, meditate before doing anything else,” said Beheshti, author of “Pause. Breathe. Choose.: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being.” “Ideally, meditation is followed by some movement if there is time.”
Being specific is key, she said. Determine where and when you will do it and how long you will do it for.
“Once you build that habit, if you want, you can add another meaningful action that makes you feel good,” she said. “Your commitment to yourself will lead to a meaningful morning routine that empowers and energises you so that you can show up as your best self.”
Change up your phone’s lock screen and home screen
There are some easy changes you can implement that will keep you on track with your goals. These may be especially helpful if you decide to still use your phone as an alarm clock.
One way is to choose a lock screen or wall paper image that “encourages resistance,” said productivity strategist Mike Vardy, founder of Productivityist.
“This could be an inspirational quote or even a question asking if it’s past a certain time of day, indicating when you are allowed to use the phone,” he said. “By customising your wallpaper or lock screen, you create a visual cue that makes you think twice before mindlessly using your phone in the morning.”
“By customizing your wallpaper or lock screen, you create a visual cue that makes you think twice before mindlessly using your phone in the morning.”
- Mike Vardy, productivity strategist
Another way is to rearrange the apps on your home screen so that the ones that tend to suck you in or stress you out are not immediately visible, Pirasteh recommended. That might mean putting Slack, your work email, an addicting game, social media or news apps into a folder or moving them off the first page.
Set up app restrictions for the early A.M. hours
You can use the built-in settings on your phone to limit access to certain apps at designated times each day. On the iPhone, go to Settings, then turn on Screen Time and tap Downtime to customise your selections. (If you need to access one of these apps during Downtime for whatever reason, just click on the app and select “Ignore Limit.”)
If you have an Android, you can do this by going to Settings, looking for Digital Wellbeing and then tapping Focus Mode. There you can schedule when you want to turn on the feature and also select the apps you want to block when your phone is in this mode. You can also use third-party apps like Stay Focused.
“By limiting access to certain apps, such as social media or email, you create a barrier that discourages phone usage,” said Vardy, who hosts the podcast, “A Productive Conversation.”
“While this approach may seem drastic, it can be an effective way to break the cycle of reaching for your phone immediately upon waking up and redirect your attention to more meaningful morning activities,” he said.
And on a final note: Be patient with yourself as you implement these changes to your routine.
“Change doesn’t have to happen overnight and will have a more lasting impact when it is done with a personal ‘buy-in’ of the benefits rather than feeling that this is something you ‘should’ do,” Pirasteh said.