A Morning Routine

I have spoken before about habits and how they can change your quality of life. This post is to further that discussion somewhat. I have found that when I string certain habits together the result is powerful chain of healthy activity that leaves me feeling grounded and ready to take on the day.

A morning routine is a series of actions that you decide to adopt as part of your schedule. It often begins upon waking and will carry you through until you are ready to transition into your first major task of the day. This routine can consist of almost anything, and I will list some of the typical habits you can put together to create your own morning routine a little later.

For now I will speak of the most important part of any morning routine: Sleep. In order to ensure that you have enough time to implement any habits upon waking, you need to have gone to bed at a time which allows you to get enough sleep so that you can get up early.

This is a greater challenge than it may seem as many of us struggle with poor bedtime habits, and so falling to sleep very difficult. This difficulty translates into poor rest, and often we wake up grumpy at the behest of an alarm or a loved one, wishing we didn't have to get out of bed.

In order to make sure that you can flow seamlessly from sleep to wakefulness it is important to get to bed at a reasonable time, and turn off any distractions such as the cell phone, tablet, laptop or television and fully prepare for sleep.

Once you have set yourself up with a sleeping habit that you can rely on, you then can decide on how you would like you morning to start. Your routine may be only thirty minutes or you may want an hour to yourself before you let the rest of the world in. The key is to try different habits that appeal to you and adjust the timing where necessary until you are satisfied with the outcome.

The point of a morning routine is to put you both in a mental and physical state which helps you have a productive and balanced day. How we start out can decide how we continue and ultimately how we finish. Carving out time for yourself in the morning will ensure that you never 'wake up on the wrong side the bed' and stay there.

Now that my mornings are structured, the rest of my day feels off balanced when I don't do all or any of my key habits.  I look forward to the feeling that I have already achieved a great deal. Checking off various activities on my list, is an instant boost and that momentum rolls forward into my other tasks for the day.

If you feel off-balanced or rushed in the morning, consider cobbling together a routine for yourself and seeing if it helps you to feel more a peace.

Now here is that list I promised you:

• Meditation
• Yoga/Stretching
• Exercise
• Journalling
• Walking or Running
• Drinking a Cup or Tea/Coffee
• Making the Bed
• Reading
• Writing a To-Do-List
• Setting Intentions
• Prayer 
• Reflection
• Gratitude
• Visualisation
• Affirmations
• Mirror Work
• Drawing
• Knitting/Handicraft
• Connecting with a loved one
• Playing with pets
• Tending your Garden
• Cooking/Baking
• Having breakfast
• Lighting Candles/Incense