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Why Your Daily Morning Routine Matters More than You Know

Healing | Health

Having a morning routine is good for you for many, many reasons. And we don’t mean the ritual of hitting snooze three times and ransacking yesterday’s laundry for clean underwear and matching socks before chugging coffee, grabbing a pastry, and lurching out the door into rush-hour traffic. 

Yes, that is a routine! But we are talking about something rich, mindful, quiet, and nourishing. 

Example of A Morning Routine

Sip warm lemon water before stretching out or meditating for 10 minutes. Take a shower with your favorite body wash, dry brush, or oil pull – some form of Saucha (cleansing). Read your book for 15 minutes, then write for 10 minutes  – you don’t need to be a writer to have stuff to say or inspiration that needs to come out. Finally, eat something nutritious and climb into your clothes, ready for the day. This is merely an example of a 60-minute morning routine. Yours may include reading with your kids, having tea with your hubby, or preparing lunch boxes quietly by yourself in the kitchen. But do hold off on the coffee until you have allowed your body to adjust to its natural energy level. You may even find you don’t need it!

Why It Works

It’s not hard to see the value in time and stress management here, but the benefits stretch above and beyond the practical matter of being on time. You can feel the difference within yourself very quickly when committing to a more nourishing morning routine and sticking to it; here are a few reasons why.

1. Grow Confidence.

When you commit to doing something beneficial for yourself – and stick to it – you grow a type of love that is invaluable: trust. Trusting yourself is the biggest step towards self-confidence and living a happier healthier life. 

2. Increase Self Care Accountability.

Accountability is like a muscle; it needs to be flexed in order to stay healthy and present. There’s no re-do with your morning routine, you cannot rewind time (yet!). This means once you start the practice of a morning ritual you will automatically start holding yourself accountable for it. Once this new accountability muscle begins strengthening you will find it leaks into other areas of self-care – perhaps getting to the gym will be less challenging, or eating less junk food.

3. Love Yourself In Order To Love Others.

This type of ritual provides time and space for you to do something for yourself before you do things for other people. In yoga we talk a lot about how in order to be there for others you first need to be the strongest, best, most authentic version of yourself. Building a daily practice of Ahimsa (self-love) enforces this self-growth so that you can be more present for your loved ones or colleagues throughout the rest of the day in all corners of your life. 

4. Set The Tone.

Ever heard the saying “start as you mean to go on”? Well, it’s not just for New Year’s Day. It’s for every day. If your day starts manic and busy, racing around, chances are you will carry that stress into everything else you do. In fact, if you start your day stressed out, your body will release high amounts of cortisol (the stress hormone) before you even leave the house and your adrenaline will be pumping for a good few hours, which will lead you to crash hard, similar to a coffee crash, later that morning. 

5. Get Productive.

Healthy morning routines increase your productivity level throughout your whole day. Feeling more grounded and confident, as you will once you have established a nourishing and calm morning routine, is a wonderful basis for productivity. 

As you can see, the benefits definitely outweigh any excuse you may conjure as to why you don’t have time to create and stick to a morning routine. Actually, you don’t have time to not have a morning routine that nourishes you! So hop to it! 

Image credit: Toa Heftiba

 

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