8 Steps Towards A More Mindful Morning
Steps Towards A More Mindful Morning
Starting your day off on a mindful note sets the tone for a successful day. When we begin with a mindful morning (pretty much from the moment you wake up), we’re addressing our mental self-care from the beginning of our day, which then will reflect on the rest of our day ahead.
In this blog post, we will cover:
- Steps Towards A More Mindful Morning
- Why Practice Mindful Mornings?
- 8 Steps Towards A More Mindful Morning:
Why Practice Mindful Mornings?
Practicing a mindful morning helps to lay the foundation for a day marked by intention, clarity, and well-being. Engaging in mindfulness practices upon waking cultivates a sense of presence, reducing stress, and enhancing focus.
By starting the day with mindfulness, we can foster emotional regulation, a heightened awareness of thoughts and emotions, and a deeper connection with our physical sensations. Mindful mornings can help promote positive decision-making, gratitude, and a centred mindset that you can carry with you for the entire day.
8 Steps Towards A More Mindful Morning:
1. Mindful Hygiene
As you go about your morning hygiene routine, such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower, focus on the sensations and movements involved in each activity.
Spend the time in the morning to truly take care of your hygiene. It’s very noticeable when someone has put in the time to take care of themselves. The work you put in on the outside will easily radiate on the outside in the forms of confidence, a smile, and feelings of general contentedness.
Here are some examples of practicing mindful hygiene in the morning:
- Brush and floss your teeth.
- Scrape your tongue.
- Wash and moisturize your face.
- Shower and wash your hair.
- Apply body lotion or oil.
- Use deodorant.
- Style your hair.
- Apply skincare products (serums, creams, sunscreen).
- Keep your nails tidy.
- Choose and put on clean clothes.
- Put on sunscreen if you’ll be exposed to the sun.
- Use a Gua Sha stone for lymphatic Drainage.
2. Wake Up Early
Nobody likes feeling rushed in the morning. When we are rushed, it’s easy to feel anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed. These feelings can easily linger throughout the rest of our day if we’re not taking the steps to correct them from the start.
Try to wake up a bit earlier than usual to give yourself extra time for your mindful morning routine. This allows you to start your day without feeling rushed.
3. Avoid Immediate Screen Time
Though it may be SUPER difficult (I know, got to check your email, text messages or Instagram notifications), try to resist the urge to reach for your phone or any screens as soon as you wake up.
If you don’t want to commit to a full 30 minutes or full hour of no-screens in the morning, try to still give yourself a screen-free buffer to ease into your day. Try to set your no screen-time buffer to 15 or 20 minutes to start.
The bottom line is, for a mindful morning, we don’t want to end up on our phones if we’re still in bed. Because our phones contain information overload, they can easily offset our morning with stress, anxiety, and other feeling that can linger throughout your whole day.
Try participating in a digital detox to fully reap the benefits of a mindful morning!
4. Hydrate
Begin your day by drinking a large glass of water (I love mine with a squeeze of half a lemon). This helps rehydrate your body after a night’s sleep and jumpstart your metabolism.
When we start our days by drinking a sufficient amount of water, it sets the tone for being nourished throughout the day. Hydrating yourself in the morning is also the easiest time of day to get water in, as our lives tend to get busy throughout the day. Before you know it, the day is nearly done, and you haven’t come close to the recommended daily water intake yet.
Need help drinking more water throughout your day? Here are 10 ways to drink more water to make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day.
5. Mindful Movement or Stretching
Engage in gentle stretches or a short yoga session. Pay attention to each movement and focus on your breath as you stretch.
Exercise releases endorphins, often referred to as “feel-good” hormones. Engaging in physical activity in the morning can help improve your mood, reduce stress, and alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression.
6. Mindful Breathing
Set aside a few minutes for deep breathing or meditation. Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably and focus on your breath. Inhale slowly through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
Practicing mindful breathing in the morning will also help you wake up faster, as the additional oxygen in your lungs help wake up your brain.
If you’re feeling extra sluggish in the morning, be sure to practice 10-20 big deep breaths to wake up faster!
7. Express Gratitude
The power of gratitude can help shift your mindset towards positivity and set a positive tone for the day. Whether it be by writing on a notepad or in a journal, or simply thinking of grateful thoughts in your head, take a moment to reflect on a few things you’re grateful for.
Practising gratitude from the start of your day helps create a positive mindset for the rest of the day. When we practice being grateful, small inconveniences or troubles may not bother us as much, because of the practice of a positive, and grateful mindset that we can continue to work on and develop.
A great way to practice gratitude is through affirmations. You can practice affirmations by saying them out loud or writing them down in a journal. If you’re new to practicing affirmations, here are 50 Gratitude Affirmations For Self-Love to start!
8. Mindful Breakfast
Enjoy your breakfast mindfully. Pay attention to the flavours, textures, and smells of your food. Avoid eating in a hurry (wake up earlier!) or while distracted (don’t be on your phone!).
Always keep in mind healthy breakfast options as well, like fruits, grains, yogurt and protein.
Conclusion
Starting our days on a mindful note helps to set the tone for the rest of the day, helping us to reduce stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelmedness from the start.
Practicing mindful activities in your morning helps promote feelings of reduced stress, wakefulness, and awareness.
If you’re looking to make your mornings more mindful, be sure to start incorporating these steps into your daily morning routine!
Like this blog post? Check out these 50+ Self-Care Beauty Tips for Young Women to practice improved self-care in your daily routine.
About The Author
With a personal passion for self-care and beauty, Camila started thepocketdiary.com to write with all women in mind to share the best tips, tricks and knowledge in the industry of self-care and beauty. Get in touch with Camila here.