How do you start your day? Do you even remember or is it a blur of reaching for your phone before robotically moving towards the toilet? Take a moment to be honest with yourself about your morning routine. Then, take a moment to stop judging yourself and instead, realise that you have the power to change your morning routine.
The Truth about Habits
Our day-to-day is a repetition of routine after routine – from choosing the same coffee or tea to driving the same route to meeting the same people, the list goes on and on… When you’re living out of habit, you are reaffirming the same thoughts, emotions, and behaviours – this is why it’s important to carefully curate your habits as to remain mentally, emotionally, and physically balanced.
Have you ever been asked that trigger inducing question, “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”. There’s a reason it’s an infamous question and that reason is because how you start your morning determines the mood you’re entering your day with. So, starting your morning, and your day, with a routine that nourishes you in every aspect ensures that the remainder of your day is experienced similarly.
Naturally, changing your routine is not easy and definitely requires patience. The good news? You already have habits and most likely don’t recall how your habits even started. This means you just need to persistently incorporate any, or all, of the rituals below until one morning, it’s your new habit – your new morning routine!
For Your Thoughts
Journaling
If you’re a dreamer, upon awakening you’re most likely looping what your subconscious presented to you while asleep. If you’re not a dreamer, you’re probably listing what you need to-do immediately after rising from slumber. Regardless of which category you’re in, journaling will help de-clutter your mind – preferably physically journaling as opposed to digitally journaling.
For Your Emotions
Gratitude
Numerous studies have shown how gratitude boosts dopamine levels and can even help anxiety – this is why it’s the perfect way to start your day! Either physically or mentally list who and what you’re grateful for; it can be 5-20 (or more) people, material items, or even experiences.
For Your Body
5-10 Deep Breaths
Did you know that when your body is in an acidic state it’s more prone to disease? Maintaining an alkaline state ensures your immune system is strong and simply breathing deeply can help oxygenate your body. Start with five deep breaths every morning and work your way up.
For Your Soul
Meditation
Connecting with the non-physical you is important so you can strengthen your intuition – that gut feeling that is (almost) always right even when you didn’t want it to be. If you’re new to meditation, you can start with 3 minutes then gradually increase to 5 minutes, 10 minutes etc. Note that contrary to popular belief, meditation is about observing the mind and not not having thoughts.
Keep Trying
Remember that progress is not linear so if you forget your new routine, that’s entirely normal. Be kind to yourself – don’t reprimand yourself harshly, just remind yourself that you can try again tomorrow. On those days that you don’t even feel like trying, just reread this article and know that AkasaFit believes in you!
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