the importance of having a morning routine
The alarm goes off, and after hitting snooze a few times, you finally roll over and grab your phone for your first task of the day: catching up on all your social media platforms. Maybe you spend 15 minutes or even an hour just scrolling through other people's lives as you give your body time to wake up. You get up out of your bed, groggy, probably still thinking about what Sarah posted or about how Tim is on vacation for the fourth time this year, and in your zombie state you shuffle over to make yourself some coffee so you can function for the rest of the day. Sound like your mornings? Feeling called out? Don't worry, we've all been there and I even catch myself starting my days off focusing on other people's instagram pictures instead of assessing how I feel after I wake up. Those days when I wake up and don't take the time to do something for myself always end up being the hardest, and that's because what you do in the morning really sets the tone for the rest of your day.
One of the benefits of having a morning routine and waking up at a consistent time is that it can help improve your physical and mental health. Your morning routine can be the time that you intentionally set aside time to work on your mental or physical health. You can do this by making time to go to the gym, doing yoga, meditating etc., and by doing this first thing in the morning, you're bound to feel more energized and feel a sense of accomplishment before you even officially start your day. No matter how long you have for your mornings, whether it's 20 minutes or 2 hours, it is super beneficial to take a few minutes to still your mind and reflect on how you feel and what you want your day to be like. I know that actually waking up and then getting out of bed is probably the hardest part of any morning routine, but by having something to look forward to, almost as a reward to yourself for not hitting snooze 7 times, you're more likely to get up and then be immediately rewarded and therefore happier in the early morning.
Another benefit of having a morning routine is that they increase productivity and confidence. Research has shown that the most successful people all have morning routines, and while you don't have to wake up at 4 am like Steve Jobs did to be successful, morning routines are super beneficial. I am personally a HUGE fan of lists. While you don't have to go overboard and make lists of everything from what you could get your dog for Christmas to your top ten summer songs like I do, making daily to do lists can help you structure your days better. Setting aside time in the morning to write out what you want to accomplish that day can lower stress as you already have a game plan for the day, and it can help you get those things checked off because you've written them out. I often feel overwhelmed and feel like I have too many things to do, but writing down all of my pending to-dos that are floating around in my head makes them seem much more manageable, and I feel like I'm able to jump on it and get them done easier. Starting off your day already knowing what you are aiming to accomplish increases your confidence, and you aren't stressed trying to remember everything you have to do.
“Setting aside time in the morning to write out what you want to accomplish that day can lower stress as you already have a game plan for the day”
Lastly, morning routines can help set the tone for the rest of your day. Do you sometimes feel like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? We all wake up sometimes feeling a bit off, and this feeling usually stays with us for most of the day. Having a morning routine can help in these instances. For me, I find that my dreams affect how I wake up feeling, so if I wake up feeling a bit strange, I'll usually use my morning meditation time to analyze what part of my dream upset me or see if my dream unveiled something that I didn't realize I was struggling with. Adding in mindful time to your morning routine can give you a chance to assess how you feel, so you are better prepared to tackle the day emotionally. Just taking a minute to acknowledge how you feel that day is so impactful and can help tremendously.