How do you start your day and how do you usually feel when you wake up? Did you know that the way you get up has a big impact on how you feel for the rest of the day? In fact, the way you start your day can even influence how successful you are in life.
Due to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, finding time for yourself can be a challenge. Self-care morning routines offer a solution here. These routines are a nice way to start your day, but also an effective way to increase your productivity!
But what are self-care morning routines and how can you start with them, especially if you're not a morning person? This blog addresses this and offers you some practical insights and tips.
What are self-care morning routines?
Self-care morning routines are a series of activities you perform each morning, designed to start your day in a positive way. The activities can vary, such as stretching, meditating, eating a healthy breakfast, exercising, or journaling. The preference for activities may differ for everyone, but the goal remains the same: to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the day ahead.
What is the purpose of morning routines?
Why would you start a self-care morning routine, you might ask. Perhaps you already have a fixed pattern you follow every day, such as getting up, showering, waking the children, preparing breakfast, and taking the children to school. You've already completed a whole morning program before you can effectively start your own day. So, why self-care morning routines?
By self-care morning routines, we mean consciously taking a moment for yourself every morning before the hustle and bustle begins, so you can make time for your own needs.
A few years ago, I started my own self-care morning routine, inspired by the book "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod. This book promotes waking up early, not just early, but at 5 AM! "The Miracle Morning" is essentially about taking control of your morning and, as a result, your entire life, by purposefully dedicating time to personal development.
I never managed to wake up at five in the morning, but I did manage to incorporate my self-care morning routines. The book introduces a method called SAVERS, where each letter of this word stands for a habit you should integrate into your morning to start your day effectively:
Silence: Start the day with a moment of silence, such as meditation, to calm your mind.
Affirmations: Speak positive affirmations that strengthen your self-confidence and help you focus on and achieve your goals.
Visualization: Visualize the goals you want to achieve. This helps you focus on the steps you need to take to reach them.
Exercise: Make sure you do a heart-rate-increasing activity; that will really wake you up!
Reading: Read a few pages from a book that motivates you or promotes your personal or professional growth. All in all, you'll read several books a year this way, which you might not have time for now.
Scribing: Keep a journal where you reflect on your goals, successes, and things you are grateful for.
Since I started doing some of these activities in the morning, it helps me begin the day with a sense of calm, a clear mind, and a positive feeling. And throughout the day, I also experience more peace, focus, and creativity.
How do you start your self-care morning routine?
Like most advice for making a change: start small. Choose one or two activities that are feasible and suit you. It's important not to set the bar too high right away (for example, getting up at 5 AM every morning 😉) and to build your routine slowly. And be patient; developing a new routine simply takes time.
What if you're not a morning person?
Not everyone enthusiastically jumps out of bed in the morning, and that's perfectly fine. If you're not a morning person, consider starting your routine the evening before. Place your book and notebook with a pen next to your bed, and lay out any sports clothes. This also prepares your mindset for the morning ahead, can smooth the transition to your morning routine, and help you wake up more relaxed. Moreover, you can design your morning routine to only begin after you've had a calm start, such as after your first cup of coffee.
Conclusion
Self-care morning routines are a powerful tool to get more out of your day. By consciously scheduling time for activities that promote your well-being, you can start your day on a positive note. Remember that the best routine is one that aligns with your personal needs and lifestyle. Whether you're an early bird or someone who gets going slowly, there's always a way to incorporate a morning routine that can help you be your best self. So why not start tomorrow?
Do you have a morning routine? Share it with us!