There’s something magical about mornings. And hear me out, before all of you groggy night owls roll your eyes! The special thing about mornings is that they’re like a big fat reset button. It’s your chance to stop the negative thought cycles you were stuck in the night before. You have the opportunity to reorient yourself to what’s really important.
We can wake up and set the narrative for how things are going to go. And oftentimes (in definitely a good AND bad way!), how we feel in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. So if we can set ourselves up with a healing, calming, and focused morning routine, it’s a safe bet our days will go much smoother. A good day can turn into a good life, because every small step matters.
Let’s go over the key components that make for a magical morning routine, and some ideas for each to jumpstart a new approach you’ll be in love with. Think of your ideal routine as a mix-and-match opportunity to craft the kind of morning that works best for you personally. If you’re struggling to find ideas that work for you, be sure to read some of the articles available on BetterHelp.
Gratitude & And a Calm Mind
It’s so important to wake up and set the mental tone for the day. Put yourself into a good headspace. We all know the feeling of waking up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak. We maybe had a bad dream, or went to bed upset the night before, and feel that bad energy carrying over into the next day. The morning is your best opportunity to stop the cycle before it moves forward.
Having a small gratitude practice in the morning can put you in the right state of mind. All it takes is sitting up in bed and listing three things you’re thankful for in your mind. Even better, jot them down in a little bed-side notebook before you leave bed.
A clear, relaxed mind that’s free of racing thoughts is also very beneficial. Before jumping straight into comparison mode, planning mode, or social media mode, give yourself breathing room from your phone. If possible, don’t look through it for the first 15 minutes of your day. Don’t check socials, or texts, or emails. Just breathe, do some gratitude journaling, read a few pages of a book, or brew a coffee.
A Tension-Free, Pampered Body
These two simple but effective things will transform your morning:
- A personal hygiene routine that you don’t have to think about.
- A 5 or 10-minute stretching session to release your tight muscles.
When we wake up, we often feel tight, tense, or even sore. And we probably have bad breath, sweat, or just feel generally icky. Releasing the tension in our muscles and cleaning ourselves can make all the difference for our motivation and peace of mind.
Stretching for 5 to 10 minutes in the morning after getting out of bed is very underrated. We’ve been laying in awkward positions for 8 hours, and our muscles and joints need a chance to stretch out and release tension. When our bodies move more fluidly, we just feel better, plain and simple.
It’s useful to have a go-to personal hygiene routine you can do mindlessly, so you can remove the factors of decision-making and motivation. Brush your teeth, hop in the shower, wash your face with a gentle cleanser, moisturize, and put on deodorant. Make it simple, something you can replicate every single morning.
Prepared, Focused, Ready for Success
After you’ve stretched, spent some time away from your phone, and taken care of your hygiene, it’s time to look forward to what the day has in store. Figuring out concrete to-do tasks for the day and ironing out the details of your schedule will make you feel more level-headed, less frazzled, and more focused.
One of the best ways to get oriented to your goals is writing a quick handwritten to-do list in a notebook or sticky note. Check your digital calendar as well. A very useful idea is to write down the HIGHLIGHT of the day, which is the #1 goal you absolutely know you have to/want to accomplish that day.
Want one more tip for success? Spend about 30 minutes working on basic administrative tasks in your life before the workday begins – send out emails, add things to your calendar, or make a phone call. These basic preliminary tasks can make you feel more prepared for the bigger things coming up in the day.
