Morning Rituals

How you start your day can be one of the few things we have control over. Creating your ideal morning can be simplified to committing yourself to 3 things that you look forward to, everyday, Something to: Wake you up, move your body, and set your intentions.

I will provide you examples of a few rituals I've adopted that have reduced stress, rushing, and feeling overwhelmed/anxious after just waking up and facing the day. Take these suggestions to help identify 3 rituals that fit your lifestyle, family dynamics, and time frame.

First, we want to wake up! Don't overthink this first step. The first thing I do every morning is sit up in bed, stretch, and hydrate. Take the first 5 minutes before you get out of bed to come into your body, open your eyes, allow your brain to wake up, begin waking your inner body up with water, and stretching out. We are horizontal for hours while we sleep, sometimes tossing and turning, sometimes never fully sleeping, and ideally sleeping like a baby for 7-9 hours! Whatever your case is, sit up, have your water already on your night stand, massage your face and neck allowing the lymphatic fluid to work itself down to reduce puffiness around the eyes and face, relieve tension and kinks, and breathe! Don't grab your phone and start reacting to the outside world and everyone else, take 5 minutes to yourself and wake up!

The next ritual you want to discover is how to move your body, raise your heart rate, and raise serotonin. Yes, you just stretched in bed, but this should be as little as 15 minutes and as long as a workout if you like to do full workouts in the morning. Depending on your time frame and lifestyle, make at least 15 minutes of your morning dedicated to moving your body. For me, if I'm not running or in the gym, I take 15-30 minutes every morning to complete a quick yoga session in my Pj's with a guided YouTube video, a dog walk around the block, or a solo walk on the beach for sunrise. I personally love being outside as soon as possible in the morning, so many mornings are 10-15 min of yoga and a walk outside.

Lastly, we want to set our intentions for the day. This can overlap with the first two rituals and not take any extra time, just replacing your current busy thoughts, with positive manifestations. During your stretch, yoga, walk, shower, coffee- find your attitude for the day, prioritize your to do list, and express gratitude for all the opportunities this day has for you! Intention setting for me is best when it's tangible. I have a manifestation journal I write in almost every morning. This is where I address all the things I have to do, the goals I have for the day, letting go of whatever I'm holding onto, and channeling my inner thoughts into self loving, positive intentions to make the day something I'm happy to live in and reduce any anxiety I have looking ahead into the day.

Now you have 3 essential tools for creating a morning you don't dread! Hopefully, these tips can inspire you to make a stressful, rushed morning, into a time that you can look forward to. These simple rituals can easily be incorporated into your morning routine without taking up more time. Take 30 minutes you already have and change what you do with that time. Even if it's waking up 5 minutes earlier to stretch in bed!