If you’re fed up with boring mornings, here are 10 ways to make the start of the day a small celebration (I’ve tried most of them many times, while some are still on my list):

Sunrise date

Wake up at 4 am and drive to a beautiful sunrise spot – it could be a seashore, a cityscape or any kind of scenic spot you and your soulmate enjoy. Watch the new day dawning on a blanket and then take a nap. Of course, you can do the same with your best friend.

Sunrise in a balloon

It’s not something you can do every day, but for an extra special morning you can’t go past a sunrise flight in a hot air balloon.

Sunrise surfing

Grabbing your board and plunging into the deep blue is a surefire way to make your morning more exciting. If you haven’t tried surfing yet, photos like the one below should give you some inspiration.

Sunrise picnic

Pour some steaming coffee in a thermos, grab a few sandwiches for breakfast and head for your favorite picnic spot. Sometimes I drive for an hour to reach a remote mountain meadow just to hear the morning birdsong and enjoy the breaking dawn.

Rooftop sunrise

Do you have a friend with a magnificent rooftop terrace, or do you know a rooftop bar that organizes early morning events? Find the best view in the city and bring your coffee with you.

No-sleep sunrise

For those who cannot wake up early, we suggest a gentler option: if you don’t go to bed all night, you won’t need to hammer the alarm clock!

Kayaking at sunrise

Sneak out of your tent/bungalow and grab a kayak at dawn to catch the magical moment when the first rays of sunlight kiss the water’s surface. What I love most about these moments is the perfect serenity that surrounds you.

Sunrise from your tent

The best thing about camping is that you can wake up, peek through your unzipped tent to marvel at the sunrise, then immediately go back to sleep. Two of the year’s most special sunrises are the summer and winter solstice, when you can add a ritual from your country to add to the experience.

Sunrise swimming

It’s worth waking up early to start the day with a refreshing dip in the water (a sea, a river, an ocean or a pool – whatever you have close by).

Play a sunrise song

We all hear different melodies in our heads when dawn breaks, but here are a few of my suggestions for a special song to play as you watch the sunrise. If you can play a musical instrument, you can perform the melody yourself, or you can play it on your speakers to enjoy a special sunrise soundtrack:

Shine by Benjamin Francis Leftwich      Sunrise by Simply Red      Sunrise by Norah Jones     Sunrise by One Last Night      Bloom by The Paper Kites

Pin these ideas for later:

The post 10 sunrise ideas to start the day with a smile appeared first on 203Challenges.

So what does it mean?

Gökotta is an untranslatable Swedish word, which essentially means “to rise at dawn in order to go out and listen to the birds sing”.

What is the origin of the tradition?

In some parts of Sweden, there is a tradition of going out into the wild on Ascension Day (40 days after Easter) to listen to the birds, and in particular the cuckoo, sing their songs for the first time in spring. Even churches in many parts of the country agree to hold their Ascension morning service in the open so believers can hear the cuckoo sing.

Why should you do it?

It has long been known that having a positive and energetic morning is the most important step toward crafting a peaceful and productive day, though it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that obnoxious alarm clock in the morning.

The other aspect of the concept – immersing yourself in nature – is yet another booster for mental and physical well-being.

And if that’s not enough, think of it as a way to get closer to Swedish culture without having to actually go to Sweden.

Want an extra challenge?

Have you already incorporated gökotta into your routine? We still have one more challenge for you: go camping near the city on a work day and start the following morning by using the birdsong as your alarm clock (here’s how we did it last summer). When you arrive at work, all your colleagues will be wondering where your good mood has come from.

More sunrise ideas

You’ve already made it out of bed, realized how different life is under the soft light of sunrise and want some more creative suggestions for how to celebrate the dawning of the day. Take some inspiration from our list of sunrise challenges and give yourself an energizing start to the day.

Read more: 10 sunrise ideas to start the day with a smile

Discover more untranslatable words: like aylyak in Bulgaria or dolce far niente in Italy. 

The post The Swedish concept of gökotta – listen to the morning birdsong appeared first on 203Challenges.