Up the Anti On Your Morning Routine – Part 3
Continually hitting the snooze button? I hear ya.
It can be harder to get up when it’s dark in the morning, but a good morning routine that nourishes you in mind, body and soul can kick start your day in a great way. So right now is a great opportunity to revise your morning rituals and start your day with a spring in your step.
Here is the final installment in the 3 part series for you packed with a dozen ideas for you to cherry pick into your morning routine to start your day with purpose.
9. Set intentions or gratitude’s
Much is written about affirming gratitude’s in the morning, and indeed it is the perfect time to do so as it sets you up for a day of goodness coming in your general direction. Wayne Dyer, the well-known spiritual author and speaker, said he would set his feet down out of bed each morning with a “Thank You” as his feet hit the floor. Literally a ritual of “Thank” with the right foot and ”You” with the left as the perfect positive start to the day. This is so simple, and even better takes no additional time in your morning. You could also use the tip from Part 1 and anchor 3 things you are grateful for to when you are cleaning your teeth. The key I think in this practice is to keep it fresh, three NEW things each day to be grateful for, no repeating! This will start waking up your brain cells as well as your heart each morning.
10. Connect with who is there to connect with
So easy to be connecting with people on Facebook and connecting with world events in the news or on the telly but not truly connecting with the people right in front of us in the morning! Energetically it’s easier to zone out and be passive but is that the most connected and energised start for our day? Giving out the energy we wish to receive – to the people and animals we share our homes with, or a cheery good morning to the neighbour or the dog walker we pass on our morning walk connects us to what is truly important to us, and means we are sharing a bit of morning sunshine too.
11. Emulate the greats.
If you study some of the most respected, high achievers in society you will find the vast majority have very powerful morning routines that they use to set themselves up for a successful day. Many will meditate, many will read, and many will have gratitude or goal setting affirmation practice rolled in as well as exercise. I know it’s very easy to think ‘well, sure, Richard Branson, Tony Robbins or whoever has an army of private chefs and cleaners and nannies and whatnot, and what applies to them could not possibly apply to me”, and there is an undeniable reality to that. However, studying the morning routines of someone who inspires you to see what you can learn, and perhaps incorporate an element of, in a small way is a way to energise your morning with great deliberation. Sure a 30 minute mediation session on a mountaintop at sunrise is not going to work for you, but using a meditation app for an 8 minute guided meditation before the household wakes just might be exactly what you need to shake up not just your morning routine but your commitment to your wellbeing and life goals.
12. Start the day the write way
I have a phrase I use a lot with my VIP coaching clients and in my online coaching community ~Wellbeing Warriors~ – which is “stressful thoughts don’t belong in your head – they belong on paper”. The reason for that is that stressful thoughts multiply at lightning speed in our minds. Before we know it we can descend into a vicious negative spiral that can kick our day to the curb before we have even got dressed, worrying about every damn thing that might no go well, or who we have offended or might let down or might not have time for that day. When we put our stream of consciousness down on paper it allows us to see it for what it is, with calmness and clarity that is just not possible whilst our monkey mind runs away. Many people find that journaling in the morning, to calm their mind is the best possible set up for the day. It allows them to consciously proceed into their day with the clarity of focus, and to have put their worries into perspective. It doesn’t have to be a huge time investment; an 8 to 10-minute journaling practice can reap enormous benefits in terms of emotional resilience and mental focus.
Our morning sets the tone for our whole day so there you have a dozen ideas to Start Your Day With better energy and focus. I hope you can cherry pick one or more that you can incorporate into your morning routine to start your day with calm and purpose. Have a great day.
