Unlearning Morning Chaos: How My Mom’s Catchy Jingle Shaped Our Lives

"Time to wake up, time to rise and shine!"

Growing up, I heard these words every single day, without fail.

Each morning, my mom would step softly into our rooms and announce these words in a melodic sing-song voice that still echoes clearly in my memory.

My sister Leigh and I often rolled our eyes. It felt childish, slightly annoying, and infinitely repetitive. Yet, as adults, we’ve often joked about how that little phrase has somehow stuck with us. It’s always been there in the back of our minds, like a tune you can’t quite get rid of.

Today, my mornings look very different if I'm not intentional. Like many people, if I'm not careful, I'll find myself immediately reaching for my phone either while still in bed or soon thereafter getting out of it. I'll check what emails and texts came through overnight, skim through Instagram generally out of habit, and glance quickly at world news headlines. Without realizing it, I'm suddenly in a reactive state—responding, consuming, and dealing with information overload before I've even gotten out of bed. It’s not every morning, nor is it most mornings these days, but it takes intentional decisions to push it off.

Recently, I've become increasingly curious about why that simple morning ritual from childhood left such a lasting impression, especially when contrasted with my typical morning chaos. So, I started digging into the research—partly driven by my fascination with performance psychology and partly because I wondered if there was more behind my mom's quirky jingle than met the eye.

It turns out, science has something fascinating to say about our brains in those early waking moments. 

I didn’t really know this until recently, but the first 30 minutes after we wake up? Our brains are in a really different place than we might think. They’re not fully alert yet—which, yeah. But what that means is we’re still moving through theta and alpha brain waves—theta being that deep, almost dreamy creative state, and alpha being more of a relaxed, focused awareness.

It’s weird to think about, but during that time, our subconscious is basically wide open—like it’s still waking up too, and just soaking in whatever we give it. 

And when I started digging into the research and reflecting on how my days started and then proceeded, it started to make a lot of sense. There are studies—like ones published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience—that show how positive affirmations or really anything intentional we do in that early window can light up parts of the brain tied to reward and self-processing.

The way I understand it, it’s not just about feeling a little more positive that day. It’s about training the brain over time to be more resilient, more focused, more confident.

And honestly, it’s easy to see how the opposite would happen too. If the first thing I do in the morning is check my email, scroll Instagram, or dive into whatever chaos popped up overnight, I’m wiring my brain to be reactive before I even brush my teeth. Research shows checking phones immediately after waking can amplify our morning cortisol spike—the hormone that naturally wakes us up—making us feel more anxious or stressed throughout the day.

It’s one of those things that, once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Looking at our lives today, it's clear our mom's simple morning jingle shaped us in meaningful ways. Leigh earned her PhD, and I reached my Olympic dream. Together, at 28 and 31, we founded Classroom Champions, driven by positivity and persistence. Did that daily phrase make all the difference? Probably not. But we're grateful—because it certainly helped with our current shared attitude of making the most of our days.

In our modern, hyper-connected world, many of us find ourselves immediately swept into reactionary patterns every morning, rarely pausing to reflect or intentionally set our emotional and cognitive tone. Yet, the science is clear: intentionality in those first waking moments matters profoundly.

When we consciously choose how we spend those critical first minutes—perhaps through affirmations, meditation, journaling, or simply focusing on one accomplishable goal to start our day (such as preparing our bodies to workout by eating, hydrating, warming-up, etc)—we're not just setting a positive tone for our day. We're actively reshaping our brains to manage stress more effectively, maintain clearer focus, and improve our overall sense of well-being.

I sent this piece to my mom before posting it. She laughed and said she obviously didn't know the neuroscience behind her morning jingle, but she definitely understood the power of consistency and positivity. She intuitively knew that small, repeated actions could make a big difference. And as for the actual "Rise and Shine" phrase? She confessed it came straight from a summer camp she attended in upstate New York nearly 70 years ago! 

Tomorrow morning, try doing something intentional instead of grabbing your phone. Take a few deep breaths. Say one clear, positive thing to yourself. Set a specific intention for the day ahead. If you have kids, young or old, be intentional about how you help them start their day. It might feel small, but these deliberate choices—done consistently—can genuinely change your brain, just like my mom's daily jingle changed ours.

The morning chaos can be unlearned. Intentionality can be your new habit. Your future self might be amazed—and grateful—for the difference it makes.

- Steve

steve.mesler

11K followers

View more on Instagram

steve.mesler

11K followers

View more on Instagram