“When you wake up, you’ve been sleeping and you’re in a comparatively relaxed state,” says Howes. Maybe sometimes you jump straight from the shower to doing your hair while other days you lounge around in your towel scrolling through the morning news. Most of us have that bucket of things we do every morning to prepare for the day (you know, getting dressed, brushing our teeth, etc.), but you might not have it down to an exact order yet. Remember that decision fatigue we just talked about? It’s extremely applicable to getting ready in the morning. After a few weeks of feeling more scattered and depressed than usual, I realized, Shit, I haven’t been making my bed. I didn’t realize just how much the practice grounded me and served as a guidepost for other good habits until I stopped. With a made bed, I found it easier to keep the rest of my room clean, which is always good for my mental health. I never used to be the type of person who made her bed every day, but after stumbling across this tip in my mental health reporting, I decided to give it a try. At some point, those reserves run dry, and it becomes a lot harder to turn down instant gratification, which may be why you find yourself skipping a cycling class you normally love after a long shitty day in favor of downing some wine at home. The brain is an incredible organ, but even it has its limits, and there’s a lot of research out there that points toward our willpower being a limited resource. As soon as you wake up, every decision you make dips into your brain’s willpower reserves. Cementing some morning habits can make it easier to prioritize your mental and physical health throughout the rest of the day too. It’s not just about being able to pat yourself on the back for following your routine like a Real Adult. “A healthy, low-stress, focused morning routine sets the tone for the whole day,” clinical psychologist Ryan Howes, Ph.D., tells SELF. Therapists will be quick to tell you the mental health benefits of starting your day this way. You don’t have to take my word for it, though.

As someone who deals with depression and anxiety, it makes a noticeable difference in my mental health (and I definitely feel an even bigger difference when I skip it). A solid morning routine has long been the backbone of my self-care practice.

List of daily habits