I never thought being excited about a routine would make me so much happier. I used to wake up 30 minutes before I had to be at work or school just to munch on cereal, throw clothes on, and struggle into the next mindset.
But now I create a self-care morning routine that makes a MASSIVE difference in my health (emotionally, physically, mentally, you name it!). And I want you to feel like a million bucks every single morning so let me show you what you can do with just a little bit of time!
Ever have a bad start to the day and found it hard to recover? *raises hand* Me! Well, I feel like I’ve found and formulated a secret way to make my day ALWAYS start off right. This is a mix of a life counselor’s advice, monk habits, trial and error, and feedback. You’ll also want to know about the health benefits of having self-care morning routines.
While I’ve created a list of morning ideas at the bottom, you get to create your own below!
Health Benefits of Routine
Northwestern Medicine shares the health benefits of having routines. They describe how routines lead to stress management/less anxiety, better sleep, stronger health, and it positively impact others around you.
Laura Vanderkam, a best-selling author, explains after multiple studies that planning every moment of your day leads to higher life satisfaction. You can even plan the fun times or moments of freedom and feel excited knowing what’s to come.
With that, has sleeping in on the weekends ever thrown your body off, or have you felt sluggish? That’s because your body clock is used to your weekly routine. And while “routine” sometimes holds an undesirable connotation, it doesn’t have to be boring! Below you’ll see tips for making your self-care morning routine fun and something to look forward to 🙂
How to Create Your Morning Success
I start with a deep breath to take in the day. Others start with a sloppy kiss from their dog, a knee to the stomach from kids jumping on their bed, or the blasting sunlight through the window you forgot to close. Any way you have it, let’s make it feel like you own the day since you have a few things you’re looking forward to right off the bat.
Creating a routine that works for you:
- Write down 5 joys that make you feel good and bring out the best version of yourself, or see the list below.
- Set aside a timeframe that you dedicate to every morning (5 min – 1 hour).
- Ease into an earlier wake-up time (professionals recommended one hour earlier) to achieve those joys.
- Layer your joys in an orderly fashion that makes sense for you.
- Alter your routine over time to reach the best results.
“Wake up earlier you say?!” You’re darn right! Remember that billionaire, Richard Branson, in my how to increase productivity at work post? He starts his day at 5:45 a.m. The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, starts his day at 3:45 a.m., and Michelle Obama begins hers at 4:30 a.m. While this seems extreme, they are just a few of the most successful people out there. Getting up earlier to start your self-care morning routine will also lead to stronger moments of productivity because you’ll have more time in the day.
Keep in mind you’ll have to go to bed early enough to get those 8 hours of sleep.
Stephanie’s Example
Those leaders I mentioned give themselves time to be their best selves every single day. Why can’t you?
Here is an example of a wonderful working professional named Stephanie who implemented these five steps listed above and achieved that morning happiness. She was kind enough to let me use her main points for this example!
- Exercise, reading, coffee, spending time with family, and meditating.
- 40 minutes.
- I’m going to get up earlier in increments of 15 minutes until I feel comfortable at 1 hour earlier.
- Yoga with Adriene, mindfully meditate for 5 minutes, make coffee and breakfast, kiss my kids goodbye for school, and read a short chapter in my book before work.
- *One week later* combine coffee/breakfast and kids since we all hang around the kitchen at that hour. Up meditation to 10 minutes.
“Waking up earlier wasn’t as bad as I thought, and I feel more productive in the mornings now. I get to take time for my health and that leaves more room for my family, too. Thanks for the awesome steps!”
Stephanie, businesswoman
As you can see, she was already a rockstar but now she feels like one too. I encourage you to practice taking time for yourself in the mornings to reconnect and give yourself that self-love you deserve.
The Blissful Mind blog discusses the 7 pillars of self-care (mental, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, emotional, and social). My recommendation is to incorporate a mix of these into your self-care morning routine. Be creative with your joys so they cover a few categories. In Stephanie’s case, she added physical (yoga), social (family), mental (meditation), recreational (reading), and emotional (good coffee).
Morning Routine Ideas
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Okay, you have all the steps to finding your perfect morning routine and I hope you gain as much success as I have because it’s truly vital to your health to do what you enjoy every day. You just have to make room for it 🙂
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