How to be in a better mood instantly when you wake up, according to Anna Camp

Welcome to My Morning Routine, where Anna Camp and other good-life gurus share their personal (frequently surprising, often healthy) morning rituals—to help you make your a.m.’s more awesome. 

Anna Camp
Actress, singer, and Nestea ambassador

Over the past couple of months, I’ve given myself a rule to not pick up my phone for the first 30 minutes of being awake. For a while I’d reach over and go straight onto Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and your brain gets polluted with everything you see. That doesn’t give you time to see how you’re feeling emotionally and physically at the beginning of your day. Since I’ve been doing that, it’s been really helpful for my peace of mind.

When I get out of bed, I definitely need to stretch and I tell my dog hi (he’s  usually at the foot of my bed). Sometimes he’ll get really particular and want to sleep under the covers so then he wakes me up by patting my neck really hard, like, ‘”Lift the covers, Mom!” Then two hours later he’ll get hot and come all the way back and we repeat. It’s totally worth it, though.

I’ll then go into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee or a nice almond latte. I got a latte maker a couple of Valentine’s Days ago. Usually I’ll try to drink at least half a bottle of water before I actually have the coffee. I always feel like if I have a bit of a headache, drinking the water completely hydrates me and makes me feel great.

“My dad’s really big on meditation and he always sends me these articles on how to meditate better and be more at peace with yourself.”

Once I have my coffee, I sit out on either my front porch or in my backyard and sit in the sun for a minute. I’ll hang with my husband and my dog. It’s helpful to just sit and listen to the birds and really check in with yourself.

My dad’s really big on meditation and he always sends me these articles on how to meditate better and be more at peace with yourself. He used to always be trying to de-stress and I used to help him. And now that he’s retired and my life’s kicking into full gear, he’s sending me things that are really helpful. Though I don’t do it every day, I try to—it’s a nice little bonding thing we have. It’s just sweet to know he’s doing it too—he lives across the country from me and it’s nice to feel connected in a way.

I’m a big breakfast person—it’s my favorite meal of the day and something I feel like I need to start my day off right. I’ll start with scrambled eggs and black beans, maybe turkey and tomatoes. In Los Angeles there are beautiful avocados everywhere so I’ll cut one in half and slice it up with a little salt and pepper.

I try to do my workouts in the morning, because if I have an audition or something like that I’ll have to get all glammed up—once that’s on, I don’t feel like taking it off to go to the gym. Or sometimes I’ll take my dog for a long hike. That’s my favorite thing to do—I could just walk and hike all day long in LA. If I’m in the gym, I like to be on the elliptical. I’m not a yoga girl—I’d rather be moving faster. If aerobics were more “in,” I’d be in the middle of an aerobics studio wearing ’80s headbands and dancing.

Totally with you, Anna! (BRB, hunting for leg warmers.) FYI this one dance cardio move that turns any workout into a party—and here’s a Hollywood-approved playlist to shake it to.