So, you want to create a morning routine… but you’re not the kind of person who likes strict structure? You need to up your ritual game.
We’ve all heard of the power of a good morning routine, whether from coaches, books, or entrepreneurs, but what are the other options? This article will dive into making morning routines work for you, what morning rituals are and inspire you to switch up your structure!
(if you’re called to, of course)
Are Morning Routines Worth the Hype?
Life Hack says a morning routine will “boost happiness, increase productivity, reduce stress levels and get you grounded and settled for the day”. Having a morning routine can start your day off with a gentle, positive mindset. There have been countless testimonials about the power of morning routines and their ability to boost your mental and physical health.
We agree but we want to change the way you think about your mornings.
A personal tale…
When I first started my journey out of mental illness, I was desperate; I read so many books and listened to endless podcasts. They praised morning routines, the early starts, the journaling, good food, and meditating. So I did it all… All at once. Among overwhelming myself, there was one thing all the guru’s never mentioned. What happened if I didn’t do my routine? As someone fighting depression, I struggled with oversleeping and waking up – which meant I often slept over my early alarms, only to run out of time for my routines. In short, I was devastated, saw myself as a failure, and it ended up ruining my entire day. In the end, they did more harm than good.
– Ellie-Louise Des Baux, Owner of Naturally Elevate
Now, don’t get me wrong, morning routines have great potential. I even do all the above activities today – but in a much more mindful manner.
Let your Morning Routine Serve you
What I have learnt over the recent years is morning routines are there to serve you – and if they’re not, you’re doing something wrong. The one thing I never learnt from the experts was self-forgiveness. How to manage the mornings without the mindful activities.
Morning activities are there to serve you and make you feel good. You may be surprised to find there are people out there who don’t follow the trend. Bryan Teare, life coach, even talks about why he stopped doing his morning routine first thing in the morning. He split his morning activities in two and prioritised his most important task (MIT) of the day.
So, yes morning routines can be beneficial … but it’s ok to switch it up.
Self-Forgiveness
It doesn’t come overnight, and it sure as hell isn’t easy. But when things don’t go to plan, you need to practice giving yourself grace and kindness. Shaming yourself isn’t effective – in fact, it turns off the learning centres in our brain and causes more stress. Approach mistakes as lessons and know that every day there is an opportunity to practise self-kindness.
When the morning routine doesn’t go to plan:
- Give yourself permission to make mistakes – it’s all a learning experience. Can you find gratitude in this?
- Remember: it’s there to serve you.
- You don’t need to do it all. How can you adapt your morning to do one thing that makes you feel good?
How to create a loving morning routine that works for you:
Below we have outlined how you can create a loving morning routine that works for you.
- Start with one new habit at a time. For me, it was meditation. As our brains respond well to the consistency, I aimed to wake up between 7-7.30am (UK) each day.
- Forgiveness is the key. Creating a habit is hard, and sometimes it doesn’t work the first time around, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work ever. Forgive yourself when things don’t go to plan, remove the guilt of waking up late or not following a plan. It will be ok. You’re learning what does and doesn’t work for you.
- A morning routine is there to serve you and make you feel good. Lean into the activities that fuel you, calm you, and excite you!
- If it becomes robotic, don’t be afraid to mix it up. People will do the same things repeatedly, but even the best daily practices divert to autopilot. How can you re-ignite the joy in your mornings?
Try Daily Rituals Instead…
If a strict routine isn’t for you, try morning rituals.
In an interview with Spiritual Life Coach Cade, she explains how she “Follow[s] what [her] mind and body need that morning” to recharge herself for the day ahead.
We are energetic beings, and things in our universe are constantly changing, including ourselves. What self-care you need one day will likely change another day. Next time you approach a morning routine, try tuning in to your mind and body by focusing on your breath. Then ask yourself, ‘what do I need today to be the best version of me?’. The answer that arises may change each day, and that’s ok.
Daily rituals can be helpful for people who are feeling stuck in their current routine, don’t like the idea of structure or want to try something new!
Morning Rituals Ideas:
- Meditation
- Movement / exercise
- Journaling – try our journaling e-book
- Drinking water
- Eating a nutritious meal
- Reading
- Singing
- Having a warm drink
- Write/say affirmations
- Dancing
- Doing a card reading
- Get outside in nature
We hope this article has inspired you to try something new and go easy on yourself. We all deserve a little more kindness in our lives – why not start by giving it to yourself?
Share your morning rituals in the comments!
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