Take Back The Morning

If there’s one thing I’m a proponent of it’s having a morning routine. It’s so easy to roll out of bed at the last second, throw on some clothes and walk out the door, but there’s so much power in slowing down and taking the time to prepare your mind and body for the day ahead of you.

It took me a long time to get on board with this concept so my routine hasn’t always looked the way it does now. A few years ago, I would sit on the couch every morning before work and watch the news while I drank way too many cups of coffee. It wasn’t much of a routine, but that was mine for the longest time. I always felt so unfulfilled and sluggish when I would finally peel myself away though, and I didn’t understand why. It took me a while to realize I was filling my mind with negativity trying to distract myself from how unhappy I was because of all the things I wasn’t doing. Things I had a deep desire to do, but no clue where or how to start. I talked a lot about cooking breakfast, taking up yoga and trying some new things to just feel better, but I was so lost and so unmotivated. There’s a big gap between having the desire to do something and having the willingness to change to make it a reality. Then, on Christmas morning 2017, I opened my husband's present to me. It was a yoga mat, and it sparked motivation in me to change my morning routine right then and there.

For the record, just because that yoga mat inspired me doesn’t mean it was easy to switch up my routine. Honestly, it was freaking hard. I wanted to start my day off with yoga and at the time that meant waking up at 5:30 in the morning. I was not a morning person, and the idea of having to be awake before the sun was up made me a little nauseous. I once heard a girl say, “If the sun’s up, I’m up,” and I thought she was crazy. I knew it was something I had to do though so I started waking up 10 minutes earlier each week until I was getting up at 5:30 every morning with minimal fuss. Did I enjoy waking up that early? No, I didn’t. I did start noticing how good I felt after doing yoga and how that carried into my workday so I pushed past the mental resistance and stuck with it until it became a habit I couldn't quit.

Eventually, I added other elements until all my boxes were checked. I need something that wakes me up, something that clears my head and prepares me mentally for the day, something that nourishes my body and something that lights a little fire in my soul. I had to play around with it and find what worked for me, but there’s been such a major shift in my mindset and how my days play out since I started this practice and stopped running on autopilot. The key to building a solid morning routine is knowing what makes you feel your absolute best. Not what makes you feel good in the moment (i.e. drinking a whole pot of coffee) but what makes you feel so good down to your core that it carries into your day and you find yourself smiling at things that used to piss you off. That might look different for you than it does for me and that’s okay. The point is to start your day by building this mental fortitude with positive habits so that no matter what gets thrown your way you can show up as your best, most authentic self. So think about it... Are you being intentional with your mornings, or are you letting autopilot rule your day?