Mindful Morning Routines to Start Your Day Off Right

Mindful mornings lead to better days and nights! Here’s how to get started.

By: Amanda Mushro

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7 Ways to Refresh Your Morning Routine

It doesn’t take much to turn our mornings into mayhem. Maybe you hit the snooze button one too many times, so breakfast is whatever your kids left on their plates or a to-go coffee. Then, someone forgot to pack their lunch, laptop, gym clothes, or some other must-have item and now, everyone is running late. Before you know it, your morning has turned into barking out orders, rushing to your next destination, and total exhaustion by noon.

Instead of starting your day with chaos and frustration, here are seven ways you can kick start your morning with mindful routines. These ideas will leave you feeling refreshed, calm, and ready to tackle the day.

Ditch the Alarm

Instead of waking up every morning to the harsh sounds of your alarm, swap out the traditional clock for gentle sounds like the ocean or spa-like music. Gentle waking alarm clocks even come with soft light that gets brighter, along with soft sounds, when it’s time for you to wake up. You may need to set the alarm a little earlier until you adjust to these new sounds, but you'll feel more relaxed waking up to a soft and gentle alarm instead of a blaring one.

Don’t Reach for Your Phone

Instead of checking emails, glancing at the weather, and scrolling through social media on your phone when you wake up, try five to ten minutes of meditating. Close your eyes and spend your meditation time being still and calming your thoughts. You have all day to be moving and active, so use this time to just be still.

Journal

Journaling doesn’t have to take hours. You can be mindful and intentional with your journaling in five minutes. Grab a journal and a pen and start writing. Use this time to set an intention for the day. It can be a goal or something you want to work on over the next 24 hours. Focus on gratitude and write down something — even if it's small — that you are grateful for. Taking the time to acknowledge the big and small things can really change your entire day.

Stretch

Try out some yoga poses or simply stretch your body in ways that help shake off the sleep, reduce the aches and pains, and allow you to move more mindfully through your day. You can find inspiration online or just stretch in ways that feel good to your body.

Change Your Morning Drink

While many of us are reaching for coffee even before our eyes are open, you may want to try warm water and lemon instead. Switching up your first drink of the day can help kick start your digestive system, give you a boost of hydration, and ease you into waking up. Of course, you can have your trusty cup of Joe after, but you may find you’ll need less coffee to get you going in the morning.

Feed Yourself

It can be easy to skip breakfast, but it’s important to start your day off with a healthy meal that isn’t rushed or eaten while you multitask. This means adding a few more minutes to your morning routine, but it’s definitely worth it.

When you’re grocery shopping for the week, be sure to find nutritious items that you like and can use to make easy morning meals. Fruit and yogurt, make-ahead meals, overnight oats, and smoothies are some great options.

Create Your Schedule

Write down everything you need to accomplish so the important tasks of the day aren’t forgotten. Instead of letting this schedule overwhelm you, approach it with a sense of calmness and look at your tasks as things you can conquer. Writing down the tasks also allows you to check them off as you accomplish them.

Don’t forget to reward yourself at the end of the day. Whether it’s a hot shower, a delicious treat, or extra time relaxing and reading, you deserve to reward yourself and to add it to your schedule!

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