Written by: Jennifer Hudye
You roll over; open your eyes and glance up at your alarm clock. No no no...not again! You accidentally overslept an entire hour.
You leap up and frantically start getting ready…wash your face, brush your teeth, pull your hair back and pack your makeup to go so that you can put it on during your drive to work.
You sprint over to the kitchen to start the coffee maker while you open the fridge to look for something you can eat on the go. Nothing good nor desirable. This extra ripe banana will do, you guess.
You throw all your bags over your shoulder and waddle to your car, get in, and you are finally off.
You are feeling anxious and overwhelmed, and you have been up for less than 30 minutes. This was not the plan.
Sound familiar?
What we do in the morning sets the pace for the rest of our day. There are loads of studies that prove how powerful creating our own personal morning routine is.
Here are some of the best practices to start doing tomorrow:
1. Automate Your First Hour
You know the feeling of checking everything off your to-do list at the end of the day? Amazing right? There's seriously no know any better feeling.
Do the same thing for the first hour of your morning.
Write out exactly what you are going to do in the order you are going to do it and place it somewhere you will see it. Each morning go through the process step by step.
Having the list there is a way you can categorize and organize your thoughts plus build confidence so you are ready to tackle the day.
Take it one step further and prepare for your morning the night before. Lay out the clothes you are going to wear, get your coffee cup ready and pack anything you need to take with you ahead of time.
Tip: Write out your morning routine on a sticky note and put it on your mirror.
2. Find Peace By Meditating
It seems like our brains are buzzing at a hundred miles per hour throughout the day.
Think of meditating as resetting your mind so that you're clear and intentional the rest of the day.
Yale University did a study that found mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN) which is the brain network responsible for our mind-wandering. This is also known as “monkey mind.” The DMN is on when we aren’t thinking about anything specific; the mind is just jumping from thought to thought. We tend to feel more anxious and less happy when this network is very active but meditation can dial it down.
Tip: Start by sitting down in silence for five-ten minutes in the morning. Use a tool such as the Headspace app which provides ten-minute guided meditations.
3. State Your Affirmation
According to a Stanford Psychology Study, a self affirmation is “an act that manifests one’s adequacy and thus affirms one’s sense of global self-integrity.”
Simply think about affirmations as statements to say out loud that remind you to work towards being the best version of yourself.
The Stanford article explains that when we make these statements, it helps us want to act in alignment with our integrity. For example, using the affirmation “I am a thoughtful and empathic person” will act as a reminder to act as that in daily interactions throughout the day.
Tip: Come up with some affirmations for yourself; write them in present terms and read them to yourself everyday. Click here to get some examples of affirmations.
4. Exercise
You’ve probably heard all of the benefits of exercising. Aside from keeping you slim and toned, getting some exercise, even five minutes in the morning, has loads of benefits.
Improved memory and brain health as well as prevention of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are at the top of the list. However, one of the best reasons to exercise in the morning is because it releases endorphins in your brain and decreases cortisol levels. A k a, makes you happier and less stressed.
Tip: Start by doing a ten-minute walk outside or two minutes each of jumping jacks, push-ups, running-in-place, and crunches.
5. Journal
Journaling isn’t just something we did when we were in middle school. Scientific evidence supports that journaling is extremely beneficial because when our left brain is occupied with writing, our right brain is able to create and feel which helps to remove mental blocks.
Not only does journaling help you gain more clarity on your thoughts and feelings, but it reduces stress, helps you solve problems more effectively and gets you to know yourself better.
Tip: Purchase a journal and practice writing in it for five minutes each morning. Write about how you are feeling, what you want to accomplish and what you are grateful for.
Making changes to your morning routine will help help you in the long run. Start with one strategy and slowly introduce the others. If you slowly begin to implement these five strategies into your morning routine, you are on the fast track to having the most incredible day everyday!
About the author:
Jennifer Hudye has trained thousands of young women through fitness classes, personal training and online programs to achieve their fitness goals. She is the creator of The Strong Mind Sexy Body Blueprint which is a holistic online program that helps women achieve balance, happiness and a toned body. For more check out www.JenniferRachael.com.
Note from the author:
What are some other strategies that you have in your morning routine? I would love to hear from you! Here is my full list I do each day!
