Morning Rituals

I could start by referencing any number of articles about the benefits of establishing a morning routine, but that would be like telling you to drink more water. You’ve heard it time and time again. You already know it to be true. But by all means, if you’re still leery, feel free to scroll through the nearly 17 million articles that result from Googling ‘benefits of morning routines’. I’ll wait.

So we can agree that having a morning routine is good for you? Okay, moving on.

Yet despite knowing this about morning, and evening routines for that matter, I’ve spent the majority of my life without either. Until the last two weeks, that is. Granted my life circumstances have completely changed in the last two weeks, so I’m not going to be too hard on myself for waiting so long to discover the glory of this hyped morning routine.

It hasn’t been easy getting up earlier to make time for these routines, but I can honestly say that it’s been so worth it. I had never realized what I do in the morning completely sets the tone for the rest of my day. For most of my life, I’ve set my alarm to get up early enough to shower and eat before I head out the door to work. Granted I usually allow myself enough time to do so without feeling completely rushed, but still, I never carved out any time for myself at the beginning of the day. Now that I have, I don’t see myself going back to my old ways.

Get up at the same time every day: Yes, even on weekends

First things first, get up around the same time every day. When I say ‘around’ I mean the same time give or take about 30 minutes. This might be a challenge at first. If I, a self-proclaimed sleep addict, can regularly wake up by 6:00 AM without an alarm clock, I have faith that you can as well. It helps to have a pleasant alarm clock to wake up to since making more time in the morning is an essential step of establishing any routine.

Make your bed

Another one of those things I now do every day and wonder why I waited so long in life to start this habit. It takes all of maybe 3 minutes and eliminates the temptation to crawl right back into it.

Do something creative

This doesn’t have to be for a lengthy period of time. I’ve found that writing, reading, or even just listening to music for 30 minutes while I enjoy my coffee gets my creative juices flowing, and helps put me in a good mood for the day.

move your body

I’m not talking any kind of intense workout, or really any ‘workout’ at all. As much as I’ve always wanted to be a morning workout person, that’s one thing that just doesn’t seem to work with my body. It takes me a while to actually feel awake, so any movement for me is something slow and simple. For a while, it was a 20-30 minute yoga video. Something gentle and focused on stretching rather than strengthening. Now that I’ve been living in Florida for the past few weeks, it’s been warm enough to go for a 40-minute walk each morning. Something I did on a weekend and enjoyed so much I built it into my daily routine. During my walks, I smile and wave at the same handful of ‘regulars’ I see each day. Sometimes I listen to calming music, other mornings I listen to a podcast. A reoccurring theme of my morning movement is it gives me time to clear my head, which most often results on pondering things I’m grateful for. No rushing into my to-do list, no planning meals or even thinking much about the day ahead of me. Just fresh air and a clear mind.

call someone you love

This applies more exclusively to my weekend walks, but hey maybe you have a retired parent or grandparent who is also awake early and would love to hear your voice. I typically start my walks a little later in the morning on the weekends due to lingering over coffee and maybe even watching a documentary curled up in my bed. So most of my family is awake by the time I lace up my shoes. I don’t always call the same people every week, but I make a point to keep in touch with family and friends. Honestly, that one day of the week is about the only time I actually use my phone to call someone. Remember what that’s like? It’s nice for those family members who may not be too tech savvy, and it’s just plain nice to hear the voice of someone you love!

For now, this is the extent of my morning routine. I intentionally keep it simple so I can do it all within two hours before I shift into ‘get ready for work’ mode. The more complex or overwhelming the routine may be, the less likely you’ll be to actually stick with it. For me, the walking outside part may not be sustainable once I move to Colorado, but a winter walk isn’t so bad if you bundle up. All in all, I can honestly say the early wake-up call is completely worth it! Try it out for a week or two and see how you feel.