The seasonal shift into spring is symbolic of rebirth and renewal, and for many of us, it is a hugely beneficial time to check in, plant new intentions, and nurture their growth.
If you are unsure where to start, how about tomorrow morning? We all know how much a grounding routine can set the tone for your day.
Put simply, a morning routine is a sequence of actions that are regularly followed to make your life easier, less stressful, and more productive. The morning routines of successful people are followed daily so much so that, eventually, these practices become the new normal and are implemented without being noticed.
WAKE UP EARLIER
While sleeping in is amazing, early mornings are extremely underrated. An intentional early wake-up call can help you feel less stressed and rushed in the morning. Whether it’s 15 minutes or 1 hr before your normal wake-up time, this extra time in the morning can give you space to fill your routine with enjoyable activities.
This can give you time to start a habit from meditation to a hot shower to making breakfast, all of these activities start with having more time to do so.
Pro-tip: Try your hardest not to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock! When you sleep that 5 extra minutes, it may be doing more harm than good — making you feel groggier than before.
SET AN INTENTION
Getting in the right mindset first thing in the morning can guide your entire day. This can be as simple as making small goals for yourself. For example, attempting to get outside today or cherish the small moments of your day more than usual. Setting these thoughts and intentions is more powerful than you may think.
DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE
Journaling, reading, exercising — even though we love some activities or hobbies they can easily fall to the bottom of our priority list. With a busy daily schedule, it can feel the days fly by. After a day full of work or other activities, our energy level can be too low to do anything else but lay on the couch. Time management can be hard so it often feels there are not enough hours in the day.
Getting up and starting your day with something you love can help reel your hobby back to the top of your priority list.
EAT BREAKFAST
Many of us are in the habit of running out the door with little to no food in our bodies. As much as many love a can of energy drink to kick off the day, it cannot sustain us. As cliche as it sounds breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Any healthy morning routine must include breakfast.
Listen to your body. If you are hungry whip up the classic scrambled egg and toast, perhaps with avocado or smoked salmon. If you usually skip breakfast, try to eat something light like a smoothie, green juice, or yogurt. You do not want to run on an empty stomach.
GET MOVING
Exercise is the perfect way to release some steam, plus it releases endorphins too – it is a win-win situation. Customise your workout to something you actually enjoy doing and what you have time for. Whether it’s a bike ride, a yoga class, or a 20-minute walk around the neighbourhood, starting off the day healthier will carry over to the rest of your day.
TAKE TIME TO REFLECT AND EVALUATE
Life is full of change, and we thrive on those changes. Change can be scary, but without change, we are not able to grow and push ourselves out of our personal bubbles. So take some time to reflect on your current life, on your routine. How is it helping to improve your life? If it isn’t, what about it is hindering your life?
Evaluating your routines can help you find what is working and what isn’t. Discovering where the areas of complacency are in your daily routine allows you to fix them to help make important changes. Sometimes our routines become stale because they are no longer pushing us in the direction we want to go. They are holding us back, which is dampening our creativity, preventing our new inspirations to flourish.
Make sure to take time to evaluate your current daily routine, your current goals, and whether these routines are adding to the output in your life. Or if they are hindering you from accomplishing what you want to.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Don’t stress about the small things. Let yourself take breaks when you need to and don’t worry about always being ‘on’. Many people want to work until they physically cannot work anymore. It is inbuilt. It is perfectly fine to step away from the computer, turn off social media, and just be. We cannot successfully work if you don’t take the time to replenish ourselves, take stock and rest.
Our daily routines are always fluctuating, as they should. You are a multifaceted human being, constantly changing and viewing the world in a new perspective every day. Do not worry about time or running out of it. As long as you are happy and feeling fulfilled, it’s always time well spent. Sometimes, you just have to remind yourself that just being you in your stillness is fine.
A positive way to do this is through daily affirmations. Make a list of things you love about yourself everyday. It is not narcissistic, simply an appreciation of who we are and what we can contribute to others, the world around us and importantly, ourselves.
However you achieve it, sometimes the smallest tweaks in our morning routine can reward us with positive daily outcomes.
