You are in a deep sleep when all of a sudden you hear the dreaded sound of your alarm. You hit the stop, or — let’s be honest — the snooze a few times, then roll out of bed. As soon as your feet hit the ground, your day is starting. You rush around the house, your room, and the bathroom, trying to put yourself together for the day ahead. Maybe you are thinking about your classes for the day, or the midterm coming up, or maybe you’re already thinking about the next time you can crawl into bed. Next thing you know, you are on the bus, in your car, or on your bike, headed to school. You feel like the morning was a blur and you are hoping you didn’t forget anything. This is how my mornings went for many years, and if this story sounds familiar to you too, keep reading to learn how I transformed my mornings to be more peaceful.
The first change I made was waking up at least 30 minutes earlier than I needed to. I know this may sound like a nightmare to some people, but trust me when I say it makes all the difference. Not feeling rushed in the morning helped alleviate some of that typical, beginning-of-the-day stress. It also allowed me to fit more things into my morning routine, and having a morning routine is probably the most important way to start the day. It works best at first to sit down and write out what you want your morning to look like. I have mine on the notes app of my phone, but you could type it, or write it on a piece of paper. This helped in the beginning because I could refer to it while getting ready to help keep me on track with the things I wanted to get done in the morning. For example, you might write things like get up, wash your face, journal, eat breakfast, etc. in an order that works best for you. After a few days, it will start to become a more automatic routine that comes naturally.
So what exactly should a morning routine consist of? In my opinion, there are four major components that people need to add to their routine; mindfulness, movement, water, and food. Mindfulness can mean many different things to different people. For me, this means meditating and journaling in the morning. To other people, it can be prayer, setting your intentions for the day, or reading an empowering book. Something to quiet the mind, and really ground yourself before the chaos of the day. If meditation is your thing, there are so many great apps and Youtube videos to guide you. I use an app called Insight Timer and I love it. Another step is movement. If you are able to get your daily workout done in the morning or go for a long walk outside (AKA an HGW), that is amazing, but not everyone can complete this before school or work. If you have an early class or an early shift, it might be difficult to get a full workout done in your morning routine. However, movement can be as short as a few minutes. When I get out of bed in the morning, I just do some light stretching, or a little yoga, something that gets my blood flowing and my body warmed up for the day. Next is water and food. One rule that I still struggle with is drinking water before caffeine. It is so nice to get up and immediately start drinking coffee, or opening an energy drink, but what our bodies really need is water. I like to have water by my bed before I go to sleep so that I can wake up and just chug it, and have that in my system before my iced vanilla latte. Lastly, food. It is so easy to get lost in the sauce of the morning rush, and skip breakfast, or label the pre-class latte as food, but that is not what we need. Having a good breakfast to start the day can increase energy and focus in class. I personally love some oatmeal in the morning. It is quick, easy, and filling!
These are just some of the little things I like to do to make my mornings a more relaxing and enjoyable time. You can design your routine to be as simple, or as long as you like. When we make little changes like these in our daily routines and schedules, they can make such a difference in our lives. You can also use things like Pinterest and Youtube to find more ideas for your morning routine. Let’s take care of ourselves this year!