The Power of the Morning Routine
Empower Yourself With a Morning Self-Care Routine
The alarm goes off and you hit snooze as you feel so warm and cozy you don’t feel ready to get up yet. You end up oversleeping and rushing around to get ready and feel frazzled as you get started with your day. This can carry over and make you feel stressed more easily.
If you don’t plan ahead, morning’s can be hectic as you transition from rest into the activities of the day. Creating a morning self-care routine can help ease that morning anxiety, help you better transition into your day and it can bring you some feelings of calm. It can really set the tone for the rest of your day. This can look like slowing down more and being less reactive to stress. According to Xander & Spall, if you choose to use exercise in the morning, it can help you to get a boost in energy, mood and focus.
I know you might be thinking that you don’t have time for self-care in the morning but with some planning and intention you can make it happen. What can a morning self-care routine look like?
My 3 favorite ways to start the day include a 15 minute yoga routine, 10 minute meditation and 10 minute reading for personal development.
This routine is what really helps me start the day in a centered and more grounded space.
Here are some other options for you but its important to add those things that bring you joy. This will help motivate you and get out of bed in the morning. If you hate journaling, don’t add it to your routine! You might have heard its beneficial but if you can’t get yourself motivated to do it, try something else. You are more likely to not follow through if its something you don’t like to do.
• Journaling
• Exercise
• Meditation
• Breathwork
• Mindfulness practice
• Healthy Breakfast
• Spiritual practices
This of course is not all the options out there, determine what you want to start with based on your needs and preferences. The first step? How much time can you give to the practice?
Maybe you don’t have 30 minutes and that is ok. Start small! You can pick just one thing and do it for 10 minutes. I have found flexibility to be the most important component to a self-care routine. Some days I am just not motivated to do yoga so I just do some meditation and reading.
Other days I only want to journal and just allow myself time for it. Each morning I just roll with it and see where I am and go with it for the day.
The key is to not beat yourself up if you miss a day. Get right back to it the next day and remind yourself that doing something is better than nothing! If I get up late and am really running short on time, I may even just do one yoga pose. Its ok! Life happens and can throw a wrench into our routines.
It can take some time to get into a regular self-care routine but the benefits you get from it are definitely worth it. If you struggle with getting started maybe find an accountability partner who can help you get it started and stick with it. Think of creating your routine as a gift to yourself
and not something else to add to your never ending to do list. Giving back to yourself can make all the difference in your overall mood and help maintain a positive state of mind.
Chris McDonald
Therapist & Host of the Holistic Counseling Podcast
November 18, 2022
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