Taking control of cortisol

Naturally when we wake up in the morning we have a spike of the stress hormone cortisol. I'm sure back in the caveman days this was needed for survival. It was probably essential for us to have a spike in cortisol to get us out of bed to start our hunting and gathering.

As we have evolved through time, I don't think this spike in cortisol is as necessary or as useful as it used to be. But we have it and learning how to manage it and choosing what to do with it is beneficial. Knowing that it will be there every single time you wake up will give you the upper hand on how to manage it. Expecting this cortisol spike is more than 1/2 of the battle.

When you wake up in the morning, welcome the cortisol and acknowledge it. Notice your heart rate and do a scan of your body to see where you may feel any tension in response to this spike in stress hormone. Acknowledge and accept it. Take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds and then slowly exhale. Do this a few times to bring things back to center and to ground yourself.

Practice positive affirmations like this is normal, this will be here for a few minutes and then it is going to dissipate, I can handle this, etc.

Having a quick 30 second wake up routine will help you get your day started off in the right way.