Stop Mourning The Morning

The older I get, the more I see how much people hate waking up in the morning. This could be due to a variety of factors: bad/not enough sleep, hate their job, etc. With this blog post, I want to help you look at your mornings differently. It is a privilege and a gift to open your eyes every morning when so many people wish they had the chance to see another day. Let’s rethink how we view our mornings. When you do your morning your way, you can win the day.

Steps to Make Your Morning Routine Work For You

Start the night before

For me, starting the night before and organizing my space for how I need it to be the next morning allows me to have a proactive start to my day. For example, if I know I’m going to the gym in the morning or going to work, I organize my clothes and leave them out the night before. Essentially, anything I know I’ll be using in the morning is left out; this includes my journals for my morning gratitude, prayer, and journaling practice, my work/gym clothes, and my packed bag.

Lastly, every night before going to bed, I try to wind down and get myself in “sleepy mode.” This means taking my magnesium supplements, drinking tea, journaling if I have anything to let out, less screen time, preparing my water bottle near my bed in case I get thirsty in the middle of the night, brushing my teeth, doing my nighttime skincare, and lastly, getting into bed and putting on my eye mask so lights aren’t a distraction as I sleep. 

Every night, I go to sleep between 9:20 and 10:30 p.m. Also, according to research, we should be in bed by or before 11:00 p.m., as this is when our bodies are programmed to be asleep, and certain processes in our bodies slow down around this time. I aim to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep every night; some days, I sleep more, and some days, I sleep less, but the goal remains the same.

My Morning Routine to Win The Day

*Disclaimer: Everything shared in this blog post works for me, so take what you want and leave what you don’t want. Everyone’s morning routine should be catered to them.*

First, recognize that your morning routine will look different through the different seasons of your life, and it's okay to switch things up. I give you permission to give yourself grace on days you don't "hit your routine 100%." Everyone's routine will look different as we all get up at different times, with different energy levels, etc. Make sure to do what works for you.

Meditation

There was a time when I couldn't even sit still for two minutes to meditate, and now I can. Many of us live in go mode and don't take the time to assess what's going on internally. It's important we take time to be with our thoughts before interacting with others. You don't have to meditate for 30 minutes as you begin your practice. Start off slow. Start off with 2 minutes and move up. In addition, I do not have 30 minutes to meditate every day. Some days, it's only 3 minutes, others 12 or 20 minutes, but no matter what, building out a meditation practice allows you to quiet your mind and be more aware of your thoughts.

For years, I had negative self-talk on repeat. It wasn't until I started being consistent with my meditation practice that I started to question why I was talking about myself in such a way. Meditation has allowed me to quiet my inner critic; though she does go off sometimes, I'm better able to handle her now. I am better able to handle any inconveniences that may occur. One of the greatest benefits that has come from meditation in combination with deep breathing has been my ability to manage my anxiety and panic attacks as they arise.

Prayer/Gratitude

Everyone has different religious beliefs, and I respect that. One thing that I believe is important to do is Thank God or whatever higher being you believe in for the day. This is the first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning; then I move into meditation, then prayer/gratitude practice. It's easy to get stuck in the cycle of life and forget what a blessing it is to go to sleep each night and wake up the next day. Being grateful and opening my YouVersion Bible App in the morning to go through my plan has allowed me to transform my mind. No matter what may come my way, I am equipped to handle it. Paired with my daily plan and my Jesus Calling book, this is my way to grow my connection with God and receive wisdom before starting my day.

Winning Work Out

My life goes to shambles when I do not have a consistent workout. I don't know the correlation, but it's the truth. My life feels more chaotic and less organized when I don't work out.

Starting my morning with a workout boosts my energy throughout the day. It allows me to tackle a challenge early in the morning, thus allowing me to feel accomplished at the start of my day. There's a saying that goes something like "do the hard things first," and this is what I do. It may not be every day that I want to work out, but getting it out of the way always makes me feel great.

Working out allowed me to transform my body after reaching my heaviest weight, 240, during my junior year of college. Working out has also allowed me to transform my mindset. In combination with prayer, gratitude, and meditation, this has been a powerful potion to transform my life. I know you'll hear many personal development gurus saying this, but take it from me, someone who was depressed and drinking heavily during my last two years of college. These tactics have allowed me to become the individual I am today.

I won't lie. I’m not perfect. There are days when I'll wake up and not go to the gym in the morning (on rare occasions). But for the most part, I try to stay consistent with exercising in the morning.

All in all, these are three things I do almost every morning during this current season of my life. Who knows, maybe down the line, things will change, but right now, this is what makes me feel good. Use this as inspiration for your own morning routine. Give yourself grace if you're someone who doesn't already have a morning routine established. It takes time. Also, if you are not an early bird, give yourself grace, make small changes, and wake up 5-10 minutes earlier every two weeks until you get to your ideal wake-up time.

You don't have to make drastic changes overnight; I don't expect you to. The goal of sharing my morning routine was to inspire you to create yours to start your day by winning the day.