Some of the most influential people practice morning rituals to jump-start their day.
In an interview, Oprah divulges that she dedicates her morning time to meditate for an hour long. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, also spends his time meditating in the morning with a goal of one hour in the morning and one hour at night. Bill Gates starts his morning doing cardio on a treadmill while watching educational videos.
Having a healthy and clear start to our day can change how we perceive the rest of our day and have clarity in the goals we want to accomplish.
Here are 6 powerful practices you can implement in your mornings to help you jump-start your day a little healthier and with more purpose.
1. Take time to breathe and to drink water
When you first wake up, remember to drink water and hydrate your body! Drinking water can replenish your body and flush out toxins from your body. Dehydration can cause people to lose focus during the day and can cause longterm physical and cognitive problems. Drinking water can be done in under a minute and it can greatly benefit your body!
2. Meditation to clear your mind
Taking the time to clear your mind can reduce your anxieties. Calming music as an aid can be in the form of binaural beats, lo-fi beats or anything you find calming to your mind. Binaural beats create sound waves that promote concentration and induce a calming effect. Taking a moment to meditate whether it be a few seconds or 20 minutes in the morning can have a powerful effect on your mindset and how you approach the rest of the day.
3. Stretch or exercise your body
Moving your body can help you start your day with more energy. This stretching session could be as quick as doing a couple of stretches within a few minutes. Exercising can help loosen any stiff muscles you may have developed from sleep or reduce stress from previous days.
4. Plan your day and set your priorities
Planning for your day helps you get into the productive mindset of knowing what you want to achieve and do that day. It can help you manage your time better and to stay on track of the tasks you have for that day. This would help you start your day with much more clarity and goal-orientedness.
5. Feed your mind with positive affirmations
Verbally saying or writing down positive affirmations will greatly motivate you and help you feel as though you can take on the world. Positive affirmations can help reorient your thinking from negative thoughts and self-deprecating to more empowering and purposeful.
6. Grab a book and read
Reading helps promote learning and growth. When I started reading for a few minutes in the morning, I felt so grounded and connected to my surroundings. Especially when starting your day with a self-improvement book, it exposes you to many cool new inspirations and ideas you can then implement into your day. You can also listen to an audiobook or podcast while you are getting ready.
It’s also important to cater your morning routine to your own wants and needs, so you can mix a few other options in or skip ones that don’t fit you!
Try some of these ideas out for two weeks, and let us know if it has improved your groundedness in the mornings by tagging our Instagram: @HerCampusSJSU!