Your alarm shocks you awake, dreading the day as you are rushed off your feet for work and totally lacking energy. Getting your day off to a negative start and it can only get worse. You can turn this around with a supportive morning routine for your health and wellness.
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You shouldn’t have to start the day in fatigue or shrouded by negativity. Leaving your health on the back burner. Your morning can be the most important part of your day.
Why do You Need a Morning Routine?
Your morning has the potential to set you up for success or set you up for failure. (I don’t really like using the word failure because failure is really feedback and opportunity for learning. In this instance, it can be your day not going to plan or good)
There is a lot of potential in every second of the day so why does the morning seem less significant?
Modern life often characterises mornings as rushed, reluctant and stressful. When in reality, it doesn’t have to be that way. Your morning can be the supportive routine you need for your holistic health and wellness.
Here are few reasons why you need a morning routine:
1. It Becomes Habitual
Practising a routine enables you to create new neuron pathways and strengthen them. This is important as our brains like to use the path of least resistance. Resulting in old habits being hard to break and new habits being difficult to create and keep.
However, you can solidify positive, and supportive habits through maintaining a morning routine. The more you stick to your routine, the stronger that neural pathway. Therefore, creating a path of little resistance and also weakening the pathways of old habits.
Ultimately, your morning routine will become habitual and natural. Meaning you will continue to support your health and wellness consistently every day.
2. Become More Mindful
When you begin to introduce a new morning routine, all of your actions are very purposeful. This is when the neuron pathways are weak.
But this is not a bad thing. Being purposeful and conscious of what you are doing brings you to the present moment. You can emphasise this by focusing on your breath, movement and thoughts.
Therefore, you become more mindful of your actions and mind. Usually, your thoughts may chaotically spiral which can negatively impact your mindset and day. A mindful morning routine can help you feel more in control of your mind, your emotions and your day.
3. Reduce Stress
Morning routines have many benefits including nurturing mindfulness in uncertainty and reducing stress.
This happens because a routine provides structure and focus to your morning. Meaning you do not need to think about what you need to do to support your day. In full knowledge that you are supporting your wellness and preparing to have the best day.
As a result, you can reduce stress through natural action and routine. Additionally, the mindfulness you cultivate through your routine provides a break and rest from stressful thoughts and feelings.
What Should you Include in your Morning Routine?
When you think of a morning what kind of space do you want to create?
What kind of mood do you want to be in?
What will make you feel good?
Introducing a routine into your morning change your whole mindset and improve your health and wellness. These are some elements you should add to your morning and create a routine around.
1. Gratitude Practice
Do not underestimate the power of gratefulness. Take at least a few minutes every morning, whether it is as soon as you wake up or in the shower or brushing your teeth, to be grateful.
Appreciate all the small things you have, all the big things, all the love and joy and people in your life.
Gratitude can also be integrated into a meditation. There are many meditation techniques and gratitude guided meditations that can help you easily add gratitude to your morning routine
This feeling of thankfulness provides a new perspective on how privileged you are. Open your eyes and mind to a new feeling in the morning of gratitude and acknowledgement for the best things you have in life.
This also makes you more mindful and aware of everything in your whole day. Gratitude is not only for a few moments but should be used throughout your day to create a positive mindset and mood.
2. Visualisation/Meditation
You may think that meditation means being there for hours but that is not necessarily the case. Even a few minutes of peace to yourself, focusing inwardly can be beneficial and enriching.
Meditation and Mindfulness has proven to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, improving sleep and mood. Therefore, improving mental and physical wellness through the mind-body connection.
This shows that meditation should definitely be a part of your morning routine to support your wellbeing. Additionally, the more you practice, the more substantial the benefits.
Meditation typically focuses on your breath. Acknowledging your thoughts and putting them aside for later. Allowing your mind to relax and feeling fully present in your body.
You can easily use guided meditations or meditation apps to help with this. My personal favourite is Smiling Mind but you should try a few to see what works best for you.
Visualisation in the morning is also valuable in building a positive mindset.
Use a few quiet minutes in your morning to visualise how your day will go or achieving your goals. This can help motivate and focus you on having a positive mindset. As well as, reminding you to consistently work towards your goals and create the life you want to live.
3. Hydration and Nutrition
Your body needs fuel in order to function properly. So make sure you are feeding your body and brain. How can you expect to work and move for the majority of the day with little to no food in your body?
You can burn out, feel ill and fatigue because there is no fuel.
In your morning routine, make sure you make time for breakfast. It should not be rushed or missed and you can enjoy what you put in your body and feel its benefits.
This will also make you more considerate of what you are eating throughout the day. Mindfully choosing the best fuel for you and your physical needs at all times of day.
Hydration is also very important as it supports healthy body functions. You can also benefit from BCAAs or electrolytes that help provide energy.
Drinking enough is important throughout the day. Being mindful of what you are drinking in the morning will also make you aware of how much you hydrate during the day.
4. Movement
You do not necessarily need to go to the gym or go running every morning. However, if that is what gets you moving and loving life then do it.
Include some small stretching or breathing exercises in your morning routine to get your blood flowing and oxygenate your body and brain.
You can also try adding home-workouts to your morning routine. We tried out some home-workout apps that you should give a try! Even if you’ve never tried it before, these apps are instructional and you can experiment with lots of types of workouts.
Any movement will help your muscles get activated as well as your brain and start your waking up process. The earlier you start moving the more motivated and active you will feel, imagine the kind of impact this will have on your day if you feel more ready and prepared physically for it.
Both exercise, food and water are extremely important for your physical wellness. Although, feeling physically good and healthy can positively contribute to your mental wellbeing. Therefore, improving and supporting your overall health.
5. Journaling
Journaling is something I have seen in many morning routines. Do not dismiss journaling either.
Journaling for health and wellbeing should be a part of your morning routine. Expressive journaling has been proven to assist in healing, recovering from trauma, developing emotional intelligence and mindfulness.
Therefore, this activity has the potential to hugely improve your wellbeing and mentality. Leading you to become your best self every day.
Journalling can be used to set intentions, write in a stream of consciousness and express yourself personally. Set aside just 10 minutes to emotionally and mentally dump everything.
Allow yourself to clear your mind, gain clarity and understand your thoughts. This provides your mind space to focus on yourself and replenish your energy for the day.
You can also benefit from journal prompts. I love using my LSW Mind Cards pack as journal prompts and trigger mindful thoughts for my day.
6. Leave Your Phone Till Phone Later
Did you know that your phone does not need to be the first thing you pick up?
Texts can wait.
Emails can wait.
Social media can wait.
Sometimes, constantly being connected and wired into your phone and everyone else’s lives can be overwhelming. The emails and messages you receive can also cause your mind to spiral negatively and be consumed by the day to come.
Before you even get out of bed your mental wellbeing can be compromised.
Instead, you can use your morning routine to hone your energy. Preparing your mindset for any challenge you face and allowing yourself to show up as your best self.
So, leave your phone to the side until you are ready and mentally prepared for the day. This can massively contribute to you having a positive, great day.
Your Morning Routine is Key to Wellness
The way you think can change everything about your day and impact your overall wellbeing. You can use your morning routine to support your mind and become your best self.
Set yourself up to have the best day possible. Full of possibility, challenge and positive energy.
You can do this by developing and implementing a morning routine and sticking to it. Strengthen your actions into easy habits through practice and repetition.
Your morning routine will become part of you. As it becomes more natural, your mind will also naturally become more mindful and be automatically positive.
Ultimately, your morning routine is key to wellness. Your wellbeing shouldn’t wait until after work or pressing matters. Health is one of the most important things you can have in life.
Therefore, your wellbeing should be nurtured throughout the day and starts with your morning.
We want to hear from you! Tell us about how you support your wellbeing in the morning in the comments.
Love this post! You are absolutely right!