There’s a reason September can feel like an uphill climb.
After weeks of different schedules, longer nights and mornings without an alarm, suddenly it’s time to wake up early again, keep to routines, take the kids to school, return to the office, and reclaim a routine we had put aside during the summer.
And the problem can start the moment the alarm goes off.
Hitting the snooze button several times, rushing out of bed, grabbing any breakfast, and looking at your phone even before getting out of bed are small habits that can make us start the day feeling like we’re running late.
But changing the morning doesn’t require getting up at five, doing an hour of exercise, or following an impossible routine.
There are eight simple gestures that can help you start the day differently and maintain part of the wellbeing you bring back from vacation.
The first thing you do upon waking matters more than it seems
The first habit is also one of the easiest: drink water upon waking.
After several hours of sleep without fluids, drinking water helps restore proper hydration. And this isn’t a minor detail: dehydration as little as 1–2% of body weight can negatively affect concentration, short-term memory, and alertness.
Next comes breakfast.
A protein-rich option can provide a greater sense of fullness and help prevent hunger from appearing too soon. Eggs and cheese on toast, skyr-style yogurt with fruit and almond butter, or hummus and tofu are some alternatives to break away from the usual breakfast.
And there’s a third change that may be more challenging, but is worth trying: don’t pick up your phone as soon as you open your eyes.
Social media, news, and notifications can wait a few minutes. Starting the day without bombarding the mind with information allows you to reserve that first moment for something much simpler: waking up.
The 20-minute ritual that can change your mornings
You don’t need to turn the morning into an endless ritual.
You can start with something as simple as a few minutes of breathing or meditation.
The Transcendental Meditation, for example, uses the silent repetition of a mantra for 20 minutes. But you don’t need to start with such a long session.
What matters is to create a small space of detachment before entering the frenetic pace of the day.
You can also incorporate a facial self-massage.
A few minutes of gentle movements combined with breathing can turn skincare into a moment of relaxation. The idea is that it isn’t simply about slapping on a cream quickly, but about taking a few moments to slow down.
And if you’re someone who needs caffeine to get going, September can be a good time to try matcha.
This beverage contains caffeine and L-theanine, an amino acid also present in tea. It can become an alternative to coffee for those who enjoy its flavor and want to change their routine, although its effects may vary from person to person.
The last habit is probably the easiest: move
You don’t need to run ten kilometers before heading to work.
Walking, stretching, doing yoga, or gentle exercise for a few minutes can be enough to wake up the body after sleep.
Additionally, exercising in the morning can help advance the body clock, which promotes greater alertness early in the day and can contribute to falling asleep earlier at night.
And there’s still one habit that might surprise you: writing.
Grab a notebook and spend a few minutes jotting down how you feel, what’s on your mind, what you want to achieve that day, or simply the thoughts that have been wandering around your head.
Writing in a journal can help create distance from certain emotions and organize thoughts when the mind is overwhelmed.
In the end, the key isn’t to do all eight habits every day.
In fact, trying to implement a perfect routine from day one may be exactly the best way to abandon it a week later.
Start with one.
Drink water upon waking. Put the phone aside for a few minutes. Have breakfast calmly. Go for a walk. Write. Breathe.
Because perhaps reclaiming the energy of summer doesn’t depend on doing more things, but on starting the day by doing some of them a little better.
And September can be the perfect moment to try it.
