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Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Simple Morning Routines to Help Us Thrive All Day

 
Mood Elevator Tips and Ideas

A few simple tweaks to our morning routine can help us prevent or minimize stress, increase productivity, enable us to go with the flow, and improve our sense of well-being all day. 


When we practice self-care every day, we are sure to notice our outlook improves and self-caring actions have a ripple effect to enhance daily living. 


Let's zero in on those self-care practices that resonate with you, and understand one mode of self-care does not work for all. 


You may want to move slowly at first, and do mindful stretching, while you're still in bed. 


Perhaps you'll greet the morning by taking an invigorating shower or collecting your thoughts through a deep breathing exercise.

 

Maybe you prefer to designate sacred space in your home or apartment for prayer, yoga, gratitude journal writing, reciting affirmations, chakra balancing, or other contemplative practices to help you recall the blessings in your life.


Self-care Routines at Colors 4 Health


Let's try to find those things that help us feel energized and motivated to conquer the day. 


If we practice healthy behaviors early in the day, research and life experience shows, we experience a calmer morning and enthusiastic outlook, one that lasts well into the afternoon and evening.


Ready to feel more peaceful and

 relaxed each morning?


See suggestions below, and pick and

 choose those self-care ideas that 

resonate with you.


1. The tone we set for ourselves in the morning can get us off on the right or wrong foot. 


If we start off feeling rushed and unsettled, chances are we're going to feel harried when we start work, interact with others, and even carry over anxiety or stress into our free time. 


Anything we can do to begin our day on a calm, happy, and stress-free note is well worth the effort.


2. A simple way to wake up refreshed and raring to go is to adjust our sleep schedule.


Prioritize Sleep, an Important Element of Self-care


For example, I aim to consistently go to bed early enough to ensure I have between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night. That way I have ample time for morning self-care and household responsibilities. 


If this is important to you, perhaps you'll choose to set your alarm clock a half hour to an hour earlier  than you do now. Another option is to prepare some things the night before.


Unless you're single, this may mean you have to take into account you're preparing things for more than yourself. 


If you have a family, you may want to pre-plan as much as possible for those you take care of.


Young children probably need help getting their daycare or school things together the night before a school day.


This will make for less frantic mornings, and teach the kids good habits that will help them as they grow. 


Do family members take lunch to work or school? Make as much of it as you can the night before.


When children are old enough, they can learn to organize their clothes, and pack up home work and school projects in their backpacks before going to bed.


The more we tend to before we turn in for the night, the less we'll have to do in the morning.


3. Be kind to our bodies. Let's drink a tall one, an 8-12 oz. glass of water as part of our early morning routine. 


Water hydrates, aids digestion and elimination, and makes us feel dewy fresh.

 

Commit to improved wellness by fueling mind and body with a nourishing breakfast, and slow mindful eating. 




We don't expect our cars to run on empty. Why would we expect our bodies to do that?


4. Get moving and grooving. Most health experts recommend doing a morning exercise routine, but a formal work-out program is not everyone's cup of tea.


There are many ways to get our blood flowing and our mind ready for the challenges of the day. 


If we're not into structured work-outs, we can take our dog or ourselves for a brisk walk.


Sunlight, exercise, and fresh air in the morning hours stimulates feel good hormones, lifts our mood, and give us more energy throughout the day. 


Morning Sunlight and Exercise Good for Health



If walking isn't our thing, we may enjoy listening to up-beat music and dancing as we dress or prepare breakfast.


5. Don't permit technology to derail serenity. It’s unusual to find someone who doesn't wake up and immediately or almost immediately check their email, phone, or other gadgets for messages.

 

Unless our careers require this, try to resist the pull. It's easy to get sidetracked by emails and text messages, and may lead to unnecessary rushing to get out the door on time.

 

Getting off to a late start sets off an entire series of negative situations. Those may include speeding, being late for an appointment, or making us feel anxious or stressed.

 

One solution is to check work email at work and personal email on breaks. Another is to complete at least one important project, before checking Facebook or Instagram.


Rarely does something so urgent happen during the night that we have to know about it first thing in the morning. 


When we develop and stick with a calm, productive early morning self-care routine, we’ll give ourselves the best chance of having the same kind of day. 💖


Before you go please comment in the space provided below and click publish. No links in comments please, as they won't be published that way.


This post is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not provided as medical or mental health advice. 


Consult with a pro for those things. 


Visit www.colors4health.com again.

It's the place where a healthy lifestyle and colors intersect. 


Self-care Tips to Thrive

How do you start your morning and is it calm, frantic, or somewhere in-between?


Which self-care activities help you and what time of day do you fit them into your schedule?


Please explain.


If you like what you see, please share on social media with a link-back to this post.



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19 comments:

  1. Really good advice here in your post. I have a morning routine. I spend 20 minutes doing a meditation, then drink 24 ounces of lemon water, go for an hour walk on the beach and then come home and eat my breakfast.

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  2. Love the ideas in this post! I follow a morning routine . I meditate for 20 minutes, then drink 24 ounces of lemon water, then take an hour walk on the beach and then come home and make breakfast around 10:00 .. I too go to bed early.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Judee. So glad you shared your morning routine with us. Sounds like you know how important self-care is and follow a morning routine that fits your lifestyle. Gave a beautiful day and keep up the good work.

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  3. Love all the great suggestions Nan!
    I try to do a morning walk in my beautiful neighborhood every morning. I feel invigorated, relaxed, and centered afterward. I focus on gratitude while walking.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Beth, Thanks for sharing simple ways you use your morning routine to thrive. Like you, when I focus on gratitude and combine that with a walk I do see the beauty in daily living,

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  4. Very insightful post. My biggest problem is turning my phone off before bed. I'm thinking about buying a regular alarm clock instead of relying on my phone to wake me up... only to start checking emails and scrolling!

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  5. Thanks so much for your kind words. Have a wonderful day.

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  6. Well, you would not cheer my morning routine. I could set me watch to my dog's schedule: he gets me up at seven in the morning--how close to the hour it is, is uncanny. (dinner is 4:30--by his internal clock). I let him out and then feed him his breakfast. I get my coffee, return to bed and read the news while I sip on the black, bitter jolt of caffeine. But then I get up, get dressed and go about my day--two mornings a week I go to water aerobics. That really starts my day off swell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Think it's great this morning routine works for you Nan. See. I do have a reader who has the same first name and last initial as mine. She starts her day off differently than I do, and that's the point I was making early in this post. "Anything we can do to begin our day on a calm, happy, and stress-free note is well worth the effort." Thanks for sharing with us and have a fun day Nan A

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  7. Common sense information and it has given me a few new ideas. Thanks for that. I have been busy creating a morning routine since the beginning of the year and it is slowly becoming a habit that I don’t want to do without.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind comment. Glad you recognize developing a routine takes time and practice. Sending you a warm welcome to Colors 4 Health and please come back again.

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  8. I do try to adjust my sleep schedule, but I definitely need to work on more consistency with the morning exercise routine.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Donna, Me too. Thanks for reminding me about consistency. Have a beautiful day.

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  9. Sticking to my routine had been my hardest hurdle to hop over. But with reduced "busy" in my schedule proven to be helpful. Plus I have upped my own importance to that of others I care for. So sticking to my routine is now fairly easy.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Melynda for the comment. Sharing your process and some reasons why you are better able to stick to your routine may help so many others. Love it that you discovered reducing "busy" and valuing yourself has made this fairly easy. Keep on keeping on and enjoy today.

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  10. I have always been a morning person. Currently, my biggest impediment to observing a proactive morning routine is technology -- the phone and the laptop. You make some good points, here, about morning routines. Thank you for sharing this post in the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 57.
    Carol
    www.scribblingboomer.com

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    Replies
    1. You're not the only one who gets caught up in technology. That happens to many of us too. I've found the more I practice doing this one thing differently each day the easier it gets. Thanks so much Carol for the comment. Love your party #TST and thanks again for hosting. Have a great week and Happy Spring.

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