How to Create a Self-care Morning Routine
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a natural-born morning person and love my self-care morning routine. For as long as I can remember mornings have been “me time”. Although seeing sunshine stream into your window at an insanely early hour of the day may not be as exciting for you as it is for me, research has shown that there are ways in which anyone can make their mornings more pleasant. One way to do this is to create a ritual or routine that you can look forward to doing. Routines are a great way, in general, to associate pleasant thoughts with something that you may not typically enjoy (more on that later this month when I discuss my travel care package). By associating positive thoughts with an event or activity you allow yourself to cognitively reframe how you view that event over time.
TL;DR – Creating a morning ritual or routine you look forward to can help you feel more positive about mornings.
My Morning Routine:
1. The first thing I love to have every morning is a cup of hot or warm water with lemon. This is something that I’ve seen countless articles on and eventually started doing myself. Although I can’t say for sure if all the health benefits are true, I do enjoy drinking it. On the days I’m out of fresh lemons, I add a tsp of apple cider vinegar in hot water instead. Apple cider vinegar has quickly become kinda a big deal in the wellness community. While I’ve seen some conflicting information about the benefits, most information seems positive.
2. While I’m drinking my warm water (or sometimes I go straight into brewing my coffee in my Nespresso pixie) I use the five to ten minutes it takes me to finish my drink to read my daily devotional and then journal, pray, or meditate. Studies have shown that even meditating for 2-5 minutes in a day can be linked to positive health benefits. Depending on the day I may spend more or less time on a particular activity.
3. Finally, I try to do a few minutes of workout everyday. I love using my peloton app or bike to get a quick workout going. Fitness is so important to my self-care morning routine.