My morning rituals are everything. Seriously, if my morning is sh*t, then it’s highly likely that I will be taking that crap energy into the rest of my day. Sadly, I’ve learned this lesson the hard way and it’s made for a VERY snappy Savvy. She’s not cute. Or nice. Both of which I prefer to be 99% of the time. So today, I thought I’d share the morning rituals I use to ground my day. It’s a bit multi-layered because I’m a girl who likes to maximize on time. But there’s definitely some science to the madness.
At Least 15 Minutes Of Quiet
Here’s the thing about me + meditation. We go through phases. I enjoy it. It’s very helpful. But I find the thing I really crave most when things get crazy is just some good old fashion quiet time. For me that means giving myself the first 15 minutes in bed to visualize. Often times, I get up, pee, hop back in bed and reset the clock for 15 minutes later. Or pop on my apple watch and use the timer. Nevertheless, the idea is that I’m letting my mind gradually wake up.
If I wake up anxious, I take that energy into my morning and my day. Part of the reason I started going to the gym at 5am was simply to beat everyone in my house up so I could start my day with quiet. I couldn’t control when they got up but I could control me and how I started my day.
Now during this 15 minutes, it’s literally just me dreaming. I’ll visualize things I want to happen. Or I will just let my mind wander. I’m not awake enough to want to control my thoughts so I just let my mind be. Often times, it’s in those quiet moments that a solution to a problem comes to me. But I give myself the space to let my day start calm and my stress levels/hormones thank me for it!
Movement
Movement is easily one of my most cherished morning rituals because I spend so much of the day sitting. It might not be my full workout but I at least try to go for a walk before I sit down to work for a bit. But morning movement is also great for your overall health. I try my best to fast for at least the first hour or so of my day to give my digestion a break (part of healing my gut). And fasted workouts are also great for helping with insulin resistance issues.
COFFEE
Coffee for me is a precious. We drink A LOT of it in the WSS household. Mostly decaf because I like sleep and I’m a slow caffeine metabolizer (see: 8 tips to get a better nights sleep for more deets on that). But I use coffee as an excuse/reason to slow down. One thing I’ve noticed is that I still have a strong habit of quickly eating my food. I’m an impatient human so I haven’t bothered to change this. Remember that Full House episode where Danny tells the girls they should chew like 23 times? Hello no. WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?
But I will happily have my coffee as an essential part of my morning rituals so that I do slow down. Yours could be tea or actually eating breakfast instead of running out the door. I drink my coffee, catch up on a tv show/youtube/play sudoku on my phone and breathe. It’s glorious.
JOURNALING
I’m a major fan of journaling. Blog post coming soon on everything that I put in my journal (I‘m obsessed with this one). However, this isn’t necessarily something that gets done every day on the morning rituals list. But we try for as many days as we can! Journaling is a fabulous way to focus your mind. I write affirmations (to help change my thought patterns), goals (to help focus my actions) and prayers (the things I’m calling into my life/everything I need to get off my chest).
For me, journaling is a lot like therapy. It’s how I think through things. It helps me express emotions and navigate tough conversations. It gives me a safe space to deal with the sh*t life gives you. But it also helps me just breathe. No expectations. No judgment. Just a space in my morning where I can blah it all out. Thank heavens.
GRATITUDE
I’m a big believer that everyone needs a gratitude practice. In general, it makes you a nicer human. But if it’s a habit, it also makes you a less whiny one. What I think most people don’t realize is that you have to make this a HABIT. Like you don’t sudden become thankful and positive Pam overnight. Our bodies become addicted to the emotions our minds tell us are important (read: breaking the habit of being yourself for more on the science of this). So when you make gratitude, thankfulness and joy an emotional addiction, you mind will want to go there often. I.e you need a gratitude habit. Asap.
Don’t over think this one. More often than we realize, we have become so used to having things that we don’t even realize are a luxury. I put water on my list daily because after Hurricane Michael we had no plumbing for 4 weeks. Would I have ever thought that I would need to be thankful for water? Hell no. But I’m thankful to be able to flush my toilet, brush my teeth and shower without needing a bucket or a bottle daily!
If you’re looking to add a gratitude habit into your morning rituals, I have a few suggestions for how to make it happen. I always share mine on instagram so if you need a reminder, it’s there. But I also write them in my journal because that act takes it from head to paper. You might think of yours while you brush your teeth, make your breakfast or do some other task. Just make sure you pick something you do daily so you can make it a habit. And don’t be afraid to give yourself a little reminder on a post it or with a phone alarm. Sometimes we all need that extra help!
Alrighty babes! That’s all I have for today. In these crazy times, I think a gratitude practice is something we all need. I hope wherever you’re at in the world you’re safe and healthy. And just know you’re not alone in this. Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
