Until the world was hit with Covid and many of us had to work remotely, I never had a morning routine. I’d wake up at the very last minute before I needed to practically run out of my house to make it to work on time. And before I entered the working world, this was the case with school. One thing that this Covid-world has given me is a chance to slow down and come to terms with what I want for my life. One of those things is a solid morning routine. I cannot stress this enough, if you don’t have a morning routine, why don’t you give it a shot? It has improved my mental health, given me something to look forward to and really prepares me to take on whatever lies ahead that day. If you’re stuck with where to start, here are some tips to get you started:

Start simple

For me, this was super important. You may have tried waking up at 5:30 am and accomplishing 50 things including an hour long workout. Like me, you may have given up because it’s difficult to maintain and then you may have felt like a failure or lazy. You’re neither of those things! You’re just throwing too much change on your plate at once. First, start with waking up 10 minutes earlier than you did today. Or even 5! Slowly every few days, get yourself out of bed earlier and earlier until you like how much time you have before your workday starts. For instance, I start work at 8:00 am and prefer to wake up at 6:30 am to give myself ample time in the morning just to myself. 

1. Set an intention

   This could be during a five minute meditation practice. Or this could be you writing or speaking an affirmation. The importance of bringing attention to your thoughts throughout the day is something I have learned in therapy and with my own health coach. Setting an intention is similar in that you have to really give some deep thought to what you want to accomplish that day.

2. Do what you actually enjoy

   I love to exercise but I’d rather spend my mornings differently and that is completely okay. I’d rather spend my time journaling, meditating, walking my dog, listening to a great podcast and making some coffee and breakfast without rushing. These are all activities that I have chosen to bring into my morning routine. I love each of them and how they make me feel so ready for my day. If you hate meditating but enjoy taking a long walk in nature, do that instead! Making sure you love your routine is the most important thing.

3. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get to everything, everyday

   I would love it if I could meditate every single day. But the truth is, I don’t. On days that I can’t get to it, I give myself a pass. No one is perfect and what is most important is that you do your best each day.