Ways to Improve Morning Stress

As parents, morning stress seems to somehow loom over all of us at one time or another. No matter how hard we try to keep our mornings organized, A.M. stress has a way of sneaking up on us. Sometimes, on a daily basis. We can attempt to decrease morning stress with some forethought and preparation the night before. Here are some of the ways I've used to improve morning stress and keep things organized as a parent during that chaotic time of day.

No Morning Computer

It seems that if you take the computer plunge in the morning with a cup or two of coffee while web surfing, you just set yourself up for falling behind before you get started. Be sure to get your work done before you sit down at the computer to keep yourself on schedule. Once my own last child is out the door, I feel freed up well enough to relax while I web surf. If I start out surfing, I feel more stressed which contributes to the morning stress your attempting to avoid.

Focus on the Future

Make a conscious effort to put yourself into the next day as much as possible so you can gain good clarity about what you'll need for that day. Once you feel that you've been thorough enough in that regard, take the next step to do the leg work necessary to pull together all the things needed for that next day, whether it be lunches, work and school attire or as in my own case, both.

Delegate Tasks

It won't hurt your teens to put together their lunches or do a load of laundry so that there's jeans to wear to school the next day. If you have a teen that can drive, why not have that child do an errand or two that needs to be done with the car? That will free you up enough to be available to get caught up on the household tasks so that the next morning goes well and as stress free as possible.

Monitor Morning Caffeine

It's probably safe to say that over doing caffeine can cause stress in general. I've found that if I minimize my caffeine levels, my ability to handle stress and stressful situations increases overall. Splurge on your morning caffeine after your morning has become more settled and you can enjoy your coffee without the stress of being pulled in many different directions.