Easy-Breezy Mornings

easy-breezy

MORNINGS

words by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.

August is National Wellness Month, a great occasion to consider how you can make school-day mornings as stress-free as possible.

In my family, school-day mornings used to be really stressful, with everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off as we rushed to get ready and out the door. However, things have changed. Through trial and error, and conversations with other parents, we’ve come up with six things to ensure stress-free mornings. Have a Morning Chore Chart

The best way to start the morning stress-free, is to plan as much as possible the night before. To help us, we have a Morning Chore Chart which specifies all the tasks that need to be done each morning and who’s responsible for doing them. The chart spells out everything from making the bed (something teenagers really hate doing) to who’s making what at breakfast. We rotate our tasks every week to be fair.

At the bottom of the chart, we list the tasks that need to be done on a specific day, such as leaving money for an overnight school trip. The chart lists daily chores and unique tasks for specific events.

A Place for Everything - Everything in its Place

The second key to a stressfree morning is organization and preparation. If it were up to my 15-year-old son, his stuff would be dumped where he last needed them, or tossed on the floor. We’ve agreed on exactly where to put our morning essentials: school bags, coats, foot wear, etc. This makes mornings run much smoother. No one is running around looking for things – we can just grab and go.

It’s also helpful to do as many morning tasks as you can the night before - what clothes to wear, packing school bags and lunches, and finishing all homework. No more last-minute homework in the car!

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

It may sound like a cliché, but getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important to reducing morning stress. As we all know, one person’s sleep deprivation can have

a ripple effect, causing others to be grumpy too. To get a good night’s sleep, you’d be wise to turn off all electronics half an hour before bedtime. This allows you a chance to unwind away from the stimuli of your device. Furthermore, if you want to make absolutely sure that this happens, have your kids charge their devices outside their bedrooms. Wake Up - Then Wake Up Everyone Else

Try waking up 20-30 minutes earlier than everyone else. That’ll give you time to get yourself ready before the morning rush starts. The bathroom can be a source of competition and in constant use until everyone is out the door. Stay Calm and Positive

When you’re finally ready to wake up the rest of the family, try to be calm and positive. If you’re unhappy about something the kids did or didn’t do, mornings aren’t the best time to bring it up. Conflicts are rarely resolved effectively early in the morning when there’s so much to do. Queue up some happy, upbeat music to put everyone in the right frame of mind.

Have a Breakfast with Lots of Protein

When you finally sit down for breakfast, make sure that the whole family gets lots of protein. You’ll all need it for the long day ahead. !

Bio: Tanni Haas is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts,

Sciences & Disorders at the

City University of New York – Brooklyn College.