I've come to learn that for me, establishing a balanced morning routine is an essential part in having a successful day. I'll let you in on a secret, I'm a very anxious person, so creating a serene morning routine is critical to my mental health and preparation for the day. Carving out some "me time" every morning enables me to head into the day with levelled emotions and mental clarity. Although perfecting my morning routine is something that I am consistently working on, I have listed some things below that I consider important elements to creating the perfect morning routine.
1. Time
Although we would all love to wake up 2 hours prior to the time we need to leave for work, the truth is that hitting the snooze button is #reallife. Ease into the practice of giving yourself time in the morning by waking up 15 minutes earlier each week during the transition. Ensure that you use those 15 minutes to do something productive, or else you will be prone to falling back into your old habit of sleeping-in. I am someone who loves to sleep-in and my natural tendency is to choose sleep over anything else. However, with practice, I was able to set my alarm back 15 minutes each week with the forced motivation of including a new element into my morning routine. This made the wakeup time worth it.
2. Breakfast
In the early days of creating your perfect serene morning routine, you will need some real drive extending beyond intrinsic motivation. Since we all love food, using the extra time in the morning to cook something delicious is a great way to jump out of bed. My go-to favorite plant-based breakfast is avocado toast and a blubbery smoothie (side note: this is a relatively simple breakfast for many, however I seriously used to be one of those people to grab drive-thru breakfast. That being said, waking-up to make anything to eat is a big step in the right direction for me).
3. Meditation and/or prayer
You don't need to do full-on yoga or enter into deep meditation, however you should take a few moments to sit with your thoughts and/or say a little prayer. This is sure to help you feel energized and find inner peace. I personally do this every morning while sitting on my couch with my coffee. I also take the time to write down 1 thing that I am grateful for each morning so that I can set the tone for a positive day. Through the hardest of times, forcing myself to do this has helped me filter through many negative emotions.
4. Why
If you're anything like me, trying to accomplish something without genuine interest or purpose is simply going to result in failure. I encourage you to find your why when it comes to perfecting your morning routine. This will vary for everyone and could be the desire to be more productive, to decrease stress and/or to find some time away from the chaos of real life.
5. Self-love
As with anything, don't forget to be kind to yourself and understand that setbacks are normal. You won't be able to dramatically change your life overnight. Try to avoid frustration in trying to "be perfect", by taking a few minutes later in your day to carry out breathing exercises and/or other relaxation techniques.
What are your tips to creating the perfect morning routine?
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