Seize the day and let the music play!
I’m one of those people who likes to think of theme music in my head. I like to imagine my life as a movie and like any great movie, I need a solid soundtrack. Have you noticed that there is always a song playing when the viewer is introduced to the main character? Well, I like to think of my mornings as an introduction.
For the last three months, I’ve had my morning alarm set to music to give me a gentle wake-up. I got tired of that obnoxious siren alarm that makes me jump out of bed ready to slap an invisible intruder. I wanted something that would coax me out of sleep and bring a smile to my face no matter what the day had in store. I’m romanticizing this quite a bit. Music or not, I still wake up with a scrunched-up face and a groan from the frustration of interrupted sleep. However, I have noticed a decrease in my stress level early in the day.
Waking up to my favorite songs and listening to relaxing music has lifted my mood. There were times in the past when I would wake up with a sinking feeling of dread. I would immediately think of everything I had to do and feel overwhelmed before I even tossed back the sheets. It set me on a negative thought pattern that was hard to shake off as the day went on. While I’m not naive enough to think I can escape days with tedious or stressful tasks, I can honestly say that I don’t view them through the same lens anymore. Rather than think of everything I don’t want to do, I start with something I enjoy and I’m able to carry optimism with me throughout the day.
After I wake up and get dressed, I usually to listen to lofi music. The soft melodies in the background are very relaxing without putting me back to sleep. While some lofi songs have lyrics, I tend to prefer the instrumentals. I realized that songs with lyrics are too distracting to listen to when I’m trying to focus on work. I always end up singing along and work time turns into karaoke time. With the instrumentals, I can just enjoy the vibes and feel comfortable in my productive bubble.
If you think your mornings need a makeover, try changing the soundtrack! Listen to music that gives you energy, restores your peace, or lifts your confidence to astronomical levels! Think about how you want to feel and find something that brings those feelings out of you!
A lofi playlist that got me started
I like to have a lofi playlist going in the background when I start working in the mornings. I love that lofi is pretty mellow, and there are different niches within the genre. I prefer lofi with a hip-hop beat because it’s a little more upbeat but still chill.
Here is one of the first lofi playlists I ever heard on YouTube. There are so many playlists there to look through and I tried out different ones to see what I liked the most. Now I use my own playlist, or I listen to LoFi Chill Hop Study Beats from DashGo on Apple Music. That one gets updated regularly and I just add the songs I really like to my library. DashGo has a lot of different lofi playlists, so if you have Apple Music, check them out!
I usually dread the alarm clock in the morning. I dread going to work even more 😒. But since I’m not very likely to change my job in the next day or so, I’ll have to give the music a try. 🤷♀️