5 things people who radiate calm energy tend to do differently each morning
We all know someone like this.
They walk into a room and immediately lower the temperature—not with coldness, but with a calm, grounded presence that makes you feel like everything’s going to be okay.
They’re not rushing. They’re not flustered. They’re not checking their phone every 10 seconds. They just are. And they radiate this calm energy like it’s built into their DNA.
But here’s the thing: it’s not magic. It’s not even personality. It’s often just habit. And a lot of it starts with how they approach their mornings.
If you’re like me and have had more chaotic mornings than you care to admit, this list might feel like a wake-up call—in the best way.
Let’s get into it.
1. They wake up before they need to
This one took me way too long to learn.
For most of my twenties, I was a “snooze-button-until-the-last-second” kind of person. I’d roll out of bed groggy, rush through a shower, chug coffee, and barely make it to work or my laptop on time. And I wondered why I felt stressed before 8 a.m.
Then, I started waking up just 30–60 minutes earlier. No agenda—just a little time to breathe and move at a human pace. That one small shift changed everything.
When you give yourself space in the morning, you’re telling your nervous system, “We’re safe. We’ve got time.” And it listens.
Not convinced?
Science backs this up. As noted by folks at the Sleep Foundation, research has shown that people who shifted their sleep schedules earlier by just two hours reported lower levels of depression and stress compared to those who didn’t.
How and when we start our day matters more than we think.
2. They resist the urge to dive into their phone
Let’s be real—checking your phone first thing in the morning is like voluntarily stepping into a mental boxing ring. Emails. DMs. News alerts. Everyone else’s drama and demands—all before you’ve even stretched.
According to a study by IDC Research, 80% of smartphone users check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up, and it’s simply not good for us. This is well backed up by experts. For instance, Antonio Kalentzis, a psychologist, has noted that the “barrage of information can lead to mental fatigue before you’ve even gotten out of bed, making your mind feel cluttered and less focused for the rest of the day.”
I’ve talked about this before, but digital discipline is a form of self-respect. When you reach for your phone first thing in the morning, you’re handing over your mental energy to other people’s priorities. When you don’t, you’re keeping that power for yourself.
Most people I’ve met who seem naturally calm? They have boundaries around tech—especially in the morning. They start the day connected to themselves, not to notifications.
3. They do something to ground themselves—physically
For some, it’s yoga. For others, it’s stretching, walking, or just standing outside barefoot with a coffee in hand.
This isn’t about burning calories or “crushing your morning routine.” It’s about grounding.
There’s a great concept in Eastern philosophy about harmonizing the body and mind through physical presence. You’re not just “waking up” your body; you’re syncing it with your mental state so you can carry that calm awareness throughout your day.
Personally, I like to go for a short run, but some mornings, it’s just light stretching and standing on my balcony for five minutes in silence. Whatever gets me into my body.
4. They make time for mindfulness
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you sat in silence without trying to distract yourself?
No music. No scrolling. No podcasts. Just you and your thoughts.
People who exude calmness tend to have a higher tolerance for silence. They don’t need to fill every moment. And more importantly, they’re not afraid of what’s going on inside their own head.
Whether it’s journaling, meditating, or just sipping tea while watching the world outside the window, they make time to be with themselves.
And there’s a solid reason for this. As noted by the American Psychological Association, mindfulness practices like meditation and breath awareness help reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and even benefit our relationships.
Basically, the more comfortable you are with your own mind, the less likely you are to be rattled by what’s outside of it.
This is something I delve into in my book, Hidden Secrets of Buddhism, too. Buddhist practices like mindfulness and observing your thoughts without judgment can help you detach from unnecessary suffering and experience more peace—even on the messiest of days.
That starts in the morning. That calm energy you notice in people? It’s not fake. It’s often practiced presence.
5. They set an intention—not a to-do list
This one surprised me when I first learned it.
Most of us wake up and immediately start mentally organizing our day: what needs to get done, what deadlines are looming, what we should be doing.
But people who carry calmness with them often do something different—they set an intention.
Not a task. Not a productivity goal. A state of being.
Something like:
“Today, I’ll respond with patience.”
“I’ll move at a pace that feels right.”
“I’ll stay grounded even when things go sideways.”
Here at Hackspirit, we talk a lot about aligning with your values—and this is one of the simplest ways to start. Instead of jumping into what the world expects from you, you begin your day by anchoring yourself in who you want to be.
It’s subtle, but it changes so much.
Final words
Calmness isn’t something you “have.” It’s something you cultivate—one small choice at a time.
The folks who radiate calm energy aren’t superhuman. They’ve just made some conscious decisions about how they start their day. And those decisions ripple out into everything they do.
Wake up a bit earlier. Hold off on the phone. Move your body. Sit with your thoughts. Set a grounding intention.
You don’t need a 10-step morning routine. You just need to choose presence over panic and intent over impulse.
That’s where calm begins.
And maybe—just maybe—you’ll become the person who lowers the temperature of the room, too.