Every morning you have a choice, you can either spend your morning benefitting your own wellbeing and setting yourself up for a great day ahead, or you can rush through your to-do tasks and run out the door with coffee in hand and a hazy mind.
Clearly, we would all rather avoid the latter and instead prepare ourselves for the day ahead. But what is the best way to set yourself up for a successful, positive day? The answer is rather simple: rituals...
As Health Coach, Olivia Callaghan, tells us, “A morning ritual is the first step in taking control of your daily thoughts and actions, rather than letting them control you. By incorporating a morning routine that helps gain clarity & calm early on in the day, you set yourself up for success and less stress. Whether you choose to journal, meditate or change your approach to movement and nutrition in the morning - do it with intention rather than on autopilot for a deeper sense of purpose”.
In this article, we’re going to be sharing some of our favorite morning rituals so that you can enter your day with a calm mood and a clear mind.
1. Ditch The Tech
Let me as you one question – would you let hundreds of people into your bedroom the first minute you wake up? Of course not! So why are you instantly grabbing your phone and allowing this to happen virtually? The first ritual you can practice is being without tech until you’ve been awake for at least one hour.
Psychiatrist, Dr Said Nikole Benders-Hadi, states that, “Using your phone in the morning can affect your brain's ability to prioritise tasks”. So, stop picking up your phone in a morning and invest in an old-school alarm clock to reduce the likelihood of getting sucked into the virtual world upon waking!
2. Get Your Thoughts Onto Paper
Whether you’re taking creative guru and author, Julia Cameron’s advice and doing morning pages (3 pages where you splurge your thoughts onto paper), or you write a few sentences about your state of mind, journaling in the morning can help to clear your mind.
Either in bed or whilst having your morning coffee/smoothie/adaptogenic blend, pick up a pen, a pad, and start writing your thoughts for 5-10 minutes, allowing whatever you’re thinking to flow onto the page. Bonus tip: practice gratitude by writing down at least 3+ things that you feel grateful for every day.
3. Mindfully Move Your Body
Every morning, set a ritual of moving your body, whether you practice yoga or decide to do an intense workout session, moving your body sets the precedent that you take care of yourself and improves your health.
As Burn 60 trainer Katie Jo Zayon explains, "the idea of starting your day off by taking care of your body and 'filling up your tank' so to speak, knocks it off your list and sets you up for a successful and more energized day”.
4. Fuel Your Body With Nutrients
Ditch the caffeine and sugary cereal and fuel your body properly in a morning. Take your vitamins and supplements, make a nutrient-rich breakfast, and rehydrate.
Research has shown that having a healthy, balanced, nutritious breakfast improves energy levels, increases concentration, provides satiety and therefore encourages weight loss, as well as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
5. Spend Just 10 Minutes Tidying Up
Before you head out the door, spend some time making your bed, cleaning your surfaces, plumping the pillows, watering the plants, and washing the dishes.
By spending even a small amount of time tidying up your place before you head out for the day, you not only accomplish things before the day properly starts, but you also make sure you’re coming home to a tidy home.
Then, You’re All Set To Have A Wonderful Day!
Setting morning rituals, such as the ones suggested above, improve your daily wellbeing by grounding, calming, and centering you, as well as feeling as if you have already accomplished something, preparing you for a positive day ahead.
