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Introduction:
If you live with insomnia, mornings can feel like climbing out of quicksand. Instead of feeling refreshed, you might wake up groggy, irritable, or already dreading the day ahead. How can you face another day when you haven’t had a chance to recover from the last one?
But what if mornings could become a launchpad instead of a landmine? This chapter is about creating a “morning wind-up routine”—a gentle, structured way to activate your body and mind after a rough night, setting a positive tone for the hours ahead. Instead of “powering through,” respecting the fact that you may not feel or function your best today and taking some small refreshment right at the start.
What is a “Wind-Up” Routine?
A morning “wind-up” routine is a practical and psychologically informed approach to mornings that uses light, movement, and meaningful activity to strengthen mood, resilience, and energy. Although the point of the “winding up” is to help you feel better during the day, using light and movement in the way I recommend in this chapter will strengthen your natural circadian rhythm (body clock) and support sleep indirectly. Think of winding up as the intentional counterpart to winding down in the evening—a gentle ritual that transitions you into wakefulness just as a wind-down routine helps you transition into rest.
A Source of Respite and Refreshment
Even if your sleep was poor, a thoughtful approach to the morning can help you reclaim your day. A good morning doesn’t require perfect sleep—it just requires the right kind of care. From the perspective of the Four Pillars of Renewal, a morning wind-up routine provides both respite and refreshment.
Respite from the often harsh treatment you might be in the habit of giving yourself in the mornings. When you wake up after a hard night and have a full day ahead, the tendency may be to force yourself to “put on your big girl panties” and “just get it together.” A wind-up routine is a chance to give yourself a break from that and start the day with a little self-respect and self-compassion instead.
While you’re giving yourself a break, you can also grab a little refreshment. A wind up routine will give you physical and mental/emotional refreshment to create a solid foundation for resilience, energy, and well-being in your day.
Even if you slept terribly, how you treat yourself in the morning can either extend the struggle—or start to soften it. This is about nourishment, not performance.
The Three Parts of a Powerful Wind-Up Routine
Here are the essential components of a great morning routine. Each provides a unique benefit.
The Power of Light
Light is one of the most powerful tools in a morning wind-up routine. When light enters your eyes in the morning, it has immediate, measurable effects. It triggers a cascade of neural and hormonal responses that can help you feel more awake, alert, and cognitively engaged, often within minutes. Morning light exposure promotes the release of cortisol at the right time of day (early morning), supports mood regulation, and suppresses melatonin—a hormone that can make you feel sleepy.
These rapid effects make light a potent daily signal that primes your body and brain to be active, aware, and better regulated throughout the day. That’s why even 10–15 minutes of bright light in the morning can start shifting your energy and mood, regardless of how poorly you slept the night before.
As a bonus benefit, consistent daily light exposure in the mornings helps to stabilize your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and matches your body clock with your lifestyle.
Practical ways to get light in the morning:
Open your curtains and sit near a bright window while you eat breakfast or drink your coffee. Step outside for a few minutes, even if it’s overcast. If natural light is limited—such as during winter months or early work shifts—a 10,000 lux light therapy box can be a great alternative. The goal is to get light into your eyes, not just be in a lit room. Aim for brightness, consistency, and timing within the first hour of waking.
The Power of Movement
Like light, physical activity also affects various neurotransmitter (brain chemical) systems. It can trigger the release of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, which are known to play essential roles in mood regulation, stress reduction, and—by extension—sleep quality. Exercise helps balance hormonal levels, including lowering concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol while increasing levels of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. Movement’s immediate benefits for mental clarity, emotional regulation, and physical energy make it a powerful part of the wind-up routine.
Also, like light, there are bonus benefits. Over time, consistent morning movement helps to stabilize your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and match up your body clock with your lifestyle. It can also improve sleep quality, reduce awakenings, and help you fall asleep faster at night.
Practical ways to get moving in the morning:
Although a formal workout is great, you don’t need to hit the gym to get the benefits. Think of movement in the morning as a gentle signal to your body: “It’s time to wake up and engage.” The most helpful types of movement are rhythmic, light to moderate in intensity, and enjoyable enough that you’re likely to repeat them.
Here are a few examples:
- Stretching: Gentle stretches upon waking can ease muscle tension and increase blood flow. Try reaching overhead, bending side to side, or doing a few yoga poses.
- Walking: A short walk outside combines movement and light exposure. Even five to ten minutes around the block can boost alertness.
- Light yoga or tai chi: These practices emphasize slow, deliberate movement that helps regulate breathing and calm the nervous system.
- Dance or swaying to music: If you’re not up for formal exercise, simply swaying or moving to a favorite song can elevate mood and promote energy.
The goal is not intensity—it’s intentionality. Move in a way that feels doable, rhythmic, and renewing. When repeated consistently, even a few minutes of the right kind of morning movement can change the tone of your day.
The Power of Rewarding and Meaningful Activities
Another crucial—and often overlooked—ingredient in a morning wind-up routine is engagement in rewarding and meaningful activities. According to the principles of behavioral activation, purpose-driven activity helps counter inertia, emotional flatness, and avoidance that often go with insomnia, depression, or long-term fatigue.
When you engage in an activity that brings a sense of interest, joy, or purpose you stimulate brain systems tied to motivation and reward. This increases dopamine and supports positive reinforcement loops that make it more likely you’ll continue engaging with life throughout the day.
These activities don’t have to be profound. What matters most is that they align with your values, spark a sense of connection, or simply feel good in the moment. Starting your day with something that makes you feel like you—even just a little—can reawaken a sense of agency and dignity that insomnia often erodes.
Practical ways to put rewarding and meaningful activities into your mornings:
Practical ways to include meaningful activities in your morning could include making your favorite breakfast, writing a quick note of appreciation to someone, listening to a song that lifts your spirits, or spending a few mindful moments tending to a plant or pet. Even taking a few minutes to journal, sketch, or plan something fun for later in the week can spark a sense of purpose and momentum.
A good rule of thumb: if it would make a small child smile, or make a friend say, “that sounds nice,” it probably qualifies.
The Power of Combinations
Each piece of a morning wind-up routine—getting light, moving your body, doing something you enjoy—can help you feel more awake and grounded. But when you combine them, they work together like teammates, making the whole routine more powerful than any single part on its own. For example, a morning walk outside checks all three boxes: you get bright light, gentle movement, and (if it’s a walk with your dog or through a place you love) something personally uplifting.
As a bonus, when you bring together light, movement, and something meaningful, you’re covering more ground at once. If you’re a person who loves productivity and efficiency, your brain will probably light up with the idea of optimizing the time in your wind-up routine for maximum benefit.
Building Your Morning Wind-Up Routine
Think of your wind-up as a recipe: you want to mix light, movement, and meaningful/rewarding activities to bake a little “feel-good morning-cake.” The whole routine should be 10-30 minutes long.
Here’s an example:
1. Light Exposure
- Open the blinds as soon as you wake up.
- Spend at least 10 minutes outside or near a bright window.
- Consider a light therapy box if natural light is limited.
2. Gentle Movement
- Stretch, do light yoga, or take a short walk.
- A short workout is ok but don’t overdo it if you’re feeling drained; the goal is activation, not exhaustion.
3. Meaningful/Rewarding Activity
- Engage your mind with something simple and pleasant: music, a podcast, a gratitude journal entry.
- Savor my coffee/tea/breakfast
- Set a small intention for the day (e.g., “Today I will compliment three people.”)
Pro Tip: Consistency matters more than perfection, so make your routine something both workable and pleasant that you can do every day.
Encouragement and Anticipatory Guidance
You might think, “What’s the point? I’m still tired.” That’s okay. In the beginning, the goal isn’t to feel amazing—it’s to send the right “wake-up” signals to your brain.
Setbacks are normal. Some mornings will feel harder than others, especially after a rough night. Treat yourself with compassion. Picture yourself as a tired athlete in training: showing up, even imperfectly, is what builds strength over time.
As you practice, you’ll likely notice:
- Mornings feel a little easier.
- Your daytime energy improves.
- Your sleep drive grows stronger, helping with nighttime sleep too.
Quick Summary
- A morning wind-up routine helps you feel better, even after a poor night’s sleep.
- Combining light exposure, movement, and meaningful activity creates a solid foundation for mood, energy, and daily resilience.
- You don’t need a perfect morning or perfect sleep—small consistent actions can restore a sense of control and dignity.
- Framing your routine as nourishment, not performance, helps make it sustainable and self-compassionate.
Key Takeaways:
- Morning light doesn’t just reset your clock—it gives you an instant lift in energy and alertness.
- Gentle movement helps regulate mood and lower stress hormones.
- Meaningful or rewarding activities activate your brain’s motivation systems and foster emotional resilience.
- Combining these elements—light, movement, and meaningful action—creates a holistic routine that supports body, brain, and spirit.
- A morning wind-up routine offers both respite and refreshment, helping you start your day with self-respect, not pressure.
- You don’t have to feel good to begin—you begin to feel better by starting.
