How do you get yourself going in the morning?

Mornings are not a great time for me since I got fibromyalgia. When I first wake up the idea of hopping out of bed is just that - an idea (that I don't particularly feel motivated to act on).

I usually start by wwriggling my feet to get the blood moving and do some breathing exercises. I might read a llittle to get my brain moving. It usually takes me 30 to 60 minutes before I'm ready to stand up, and then I'm moving kind of slowly for a while.

So I was thinking maybe we could trade notes... what do you all do to get yourselves goingin the morning?

i literally start stretching as i awoke in bed - eyes still half closed. no crazy yoga poses, just a few easy stretches that can be done laying down for a few minutes. sometimes i'll listen to meditation recordings to get my mind in the right place to start the day. on really rough mornings - a scorching hot epsom salt bath.

I usually keep fibromyalgia at bay by making sure that I start off with activities I like and look forward to. These are the simple pleasures of life that we take for granted like browsing inspirational articles, catching up on the latest news, taking tea and living for the moment. Prayer is also a very powerful tool and is a constant accompaniment in my daily routine. It keeps me optimistic and less self effacing and this is one of the key areas to defeat FM- keeping stress at bay.

I'm always stiff in the morning .and since I've had this really bad indigestion I have to wait for my gastro pills to work before I can take my gabbpentin .
I'm on antibodies and that's making my indigestion twice as bad.so I struggle getting my daughter to shcool. By the time I'm home I can barley walk.so at 9 , I take my gabby and wait .
I do miss the tramadol that used to kick start me nicely oh well.

First of all, I don't go to bed. I sleep in my recliner. It hurts my legs and feet to much to sleep in bed. My dogs make me get up and let them out. but I retreat right back to the recliner. That is where I spend most of my time.

I start off my day with breathing exercises I use to relax. Because stress and anxiety make things worse for me, not only pain wise but also IBS-wise. I count til 5 slowly as I breathe in, I made sure it's my belly the one that expands and that my shoulders are not moving. I then count til 8 while exhaling. I do it while I am still lying down. I take my time to get up from the bed every morning, keeping calm and not stressed is vital.

I definitely wake up slowly these days. Many nights are spent tossing and turning, and sometimes I'll give up and read or watch television. Those are the times when I have the most difficulty waking up the next day.

I keep my tablet by the bedside, so I can do things such as reading emails, playing on Twitter or other sites, or play games, while I do stretches in bed. I also use diaphragmatic breathing, and do some gentle stretches once I get up.

@dancingwithfibro You're the only other person I've heard say that boiling hot baths helps. It definitely loosens up my tight muscles and stiff joints, and I feel more able to move afterwards.

Breathing exercises help me loads I'm trying to stay as calm as possible because I also suffer from IBS, and my IBS is getting worse. I've to be careful and stay as calm and as relaxed as possible. So in the morning I start with my breathing exercises as soon as I feel like it's time to get up. I'm actually glad I'm moving out from here, because my mornings here are far from calm... so much noise I like to take it slow in the morning, but here I don't have the freedom to do that.

Anyways, right after the breathing exercises I take my time, after a bit I stretch in the bed, take my time to get up and that is how I roll.

Ah, mornings--I love the dawn, I just wish it came later in the day!
Like the rest of you, I'm really stiff and NOT ready to get going. The dogs help with their pitiful faces so I have to get up for them. I also stretch in bed starting with my feet and moving up. The rest is the power of prayer that gets me moving. God is good.

Thanks for all your ideas everyone. Next week vacation is over and I'm back to work - I will be putting all this to good use