The Power of Making Your Bed In The Morning

Photo by Olexandr Ignatov on Unsplash.com

This a persuasive essay I wrote freshman year for my public speaking class, and it's still relevant because I still practice making my bed every morning, and think it's important for others to practice because it has helped me enjoy my mornings and start my practices early as a morning person. To be honest though, it does add some stress to me when I don't make it out of a rush, and I overthink and feel like it's the end of the world that my routine is messed up - but that's just me :'3

It's 7 a.m. The sun’s light is coming in through the curtains, blinding you, forcing you to wake up. You throw all your pillows on the floor and get up to make your bed. Place your blankets on your bed, fluff up the pillows and straighten the bedding. Now, you feel more awake, accomplished, and ready to tackle the day. Everyone has to wake up early either for school, work, & everyday life, but starting your morning productively by making your bed boosts your energy and mindset for the day, leaving you in a good mood. Since starting college and living on my own, making my bed in the morning has made me feel more productive and a morning person.  Making your bed every morning is important because it boosts your mentality, creates new habits, and lowers stress. 

First, let's discuss how making your bed boosts your mentality. A positive mindset early in the morning benefits your mental health and increases your dopamine levels, making you feel more productive and engaged in your day. Completing one task leads to a ripple effect of more things getting done. In Times Recorder Network, author Lori Law, quotes Admiral William McRaven from a university commencement in the article The science behind making your bed, published in 2018, stating: "By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter." Starting this effect in the morning with your bed being made adds to the productivity mindset. Being a morning person can be a struggle for everyone, especially college students. We have enough on our minds, and waking up in a good mood despite the stress of school can be challenging. But now is the time to make new habits and try to have a positive mentality; this will allow us to appreciate our mornings and focus on our school work. For example, as stated in testimony by Rachel Walman in How making my bed every morning made me a more positive person, published by University Wire in 2016, she says: "Over the course of the last few days, I can sincerely say that I've felt better about myself, made healthier choices about food and enjoyed my accomplishments - no matter how small - by the end of the day." Feeling stressed when you wake up late can send you into a negative spiral. Starting your day rushed or stressed can lead to a bad morning, leaving your mental state blurry and in a bad mood. A blurred mind, especially in school, makes it hard to focus on your day and appreciate little things. Not taking one minute out of your day to make your bed can lack the order you need to have a good morning. Not making your bed in the morning can be seen as leaving it last minute, feeling lazy, or having a hectic morning. It is common to feel super tired in the morning, but leaving it at the last minute can make your morning a drag. Leaving your room messy and dealing with it later can also cause procrastination because you know you have to deal with it later. 

Now is establishing the habit of making your bed every morning. Once you make your bed, your brain gets the idea of doing more tasks. Determination has a big role in making things a habit. Determining and sticking to something isn’t easy, but a habit will be made when you keep your priorities straight and focus on the result. For example, in the article, Why make your bed in the morning? published in 2020 by Gary Zermuehlen, he points out that setting goals for the day with direct actions and enthusiasm will boost your attentiveness. A habit can be created in 30 days if you work on them nonstop. Habits are indispensable; as we grow up, new ones will rise from practice and behavior. When habits are created, you can create a morning routine to simplify your day-to-day actions. Morning routines make your day feel easier and help your mindset prep for the day. you know the next step, and your brain likes order. Yes - Life is filled with habits, but practicing the bad ones that don't help your happiness is harmful. Little determination in life can be a mood breaker and lead you to stay in a negative mindset. We all have the choice of motivation and happiness; ignoring those emotions can lead to negative and depressive moods. According to PsychologyToday, in their child development page for Adolescence and the Development of Habits by psychologist Dr. Carl Pickhardt, published Jan 16, 2012: says "How we become accustomed to acting in the present is how we are likely to act in the future." Acting negatively now as we are young, and continuing the bad habits, will lead our minds to think this unhealthiness is normal and continue it in the future. Not making time in your schedule to make your bed also leads to procrastination. Procrastination becomes a bad habit and penetrates power in our college lives with pity (alliteration). Leaving things last minute lowers our practice of priorities and boundaries.  

Finally, making your bed can lower stress levels for the day. When making your bed in the morning, unfelt stress is lifted off your shoulders, and it sets the tone for the day. You don't have to stress about making your bed or cleaning your room when coming home, especially after a long day.  It's easier to work with less clutter in your room because you don't have to multitask or think of moving unwanted things around. The Verywell Mind website, in their article The Mental health benefits of making your bed, published Jan 29, 2021, by writer Sarah Vanbuskrik, lists ways making your bed is beneficial, some being "a sense of calm, enhanced organization, improved focus, and stress reduction." Coming home knowing that the environment is welcoming and clean clears your mind of unwanted stress. Seeing a story-high pile of clothes (hyperbole) on your bed can be stressful and adds to things you must do later, which can be overwhelming.  Having people over unexpectedly also won't be a problem because you know your room is clean, and they feel welcomed. it will be welcoming for them to see an organized space, saving some embarrassment. Unnecessary stress can cause burnout. Think of a time when you were stressed to the max with schoolwork- all you wanted to do was take a nap when you went home, but your room is a mess & you know it’ll cause you more stress so you procrastinate on it and don't want to go into a place that might cause more stress, so you ignore it and make time, leading to more exhaustion. Burnout is not fun but an experience every college student goes through. Having overwhelming thoughts can lead to mental exhaustion, especially if you start your morning frazzled without priorities. Overthinking is a bad habit of mine and causes way more stress than needed. With routines and priorities, overthinking can go away by following order in small tasks. Failing expectations and an overwhelmed mind will lead to stress and negative thoughts, harming your mental state. 

In conclusion, making your bed in the morning can boost your mentality, create a new habit, and lower stress. Mental health is important. Any small thing that brings stability and joy into your life is valid, even if that is making the bed in the morning. My favorite thing about waking up early is seeing the sunrise. This small task always makes my day. I challenge each of you to wake up early, make your bed, and check out the sunrise (maybe while sipping some coffee), reflect on how it made you feel, and how the rest of your day went. I hope it goes well & makes your day. Thank you