Routine isn’t always a bad thing. You can set yourself up for success by creating and following healthy habits. I’m a huge proponent of morning and night routines. Waking rituals are pretty easy to follow, but I still have trouble with my bedtime wind-down. Life is a work in progress!
I notice a huge difference in the days that I complete my morning routine versus the days I enact only a few of them. I’ve customized my Morning Routine to be no more than exactly what I need, and I’m not afraid to change it depending on the occasion.
One can’t always have eight hours of sleep the night before, wake up to their first alarm, and not have some emergency crop up. Or even a vacation! It’s ok to take a detour from the morning routine. Just enjoy your life to the fullest! That’s really what it’s for anyway! Make sure it feels right to you, but always follow through.
Three Things To Ask Yourself
To make a morning routine that sets you on the right foot every day, ask yourself these questions:
What is most important to me?
What is my first thought in the morning?
Who do I want to be?
Most people agree it’s good to move around in the morning. Whether it be a light workout, yoga, walk on the beach, hike, or tai chi, physical activity is not only good for the body but good for the mind. It brings your awareness back into the body, and if you can focus on the breath, that will slow your anxiety roll for the rest of the day. I promise.
Hygiene is also of huge importance in the morning. I tend to use the bathroom first thing when I wake up, so I also use that opportunity to splash water on my face and brush my teeth. Since I have a nightly 8-step face routine, I like to wash off any excess in the morning and apply a light hyluaronic acid moisturizer before my workout.
Some also say you should get your hardest task done first thing in the morning, but I think there’s a whole host of things to do before you even think about slaying that dragon.
Example of a Morning Routine
My morning routine looks something like this:
- Dress for yoga
- Turn on the kettle
- Toilette
- Splash face
- Brush Teeth
- Brush hair into bun
- Coffee and Yogurt/Fruit
- Yoga
- Short Meditation
- Tarot Reading
- Shower
- Makeup
- Dry Hair
- Breakfast and view To Do List
- SLAY THE DRAGON
