It’s 6am and your alarm goes off. What do you choose to do? Press snooze and continue to sleep? Or do you get out of bed, ready to take on the day?
I feel like I’m writing one of those Goosebump books from when I was a kid, do you remember those? Where you get to the end of a chapter and you choose which page you go to next?
And I suppose it is kind of like that except you’re not turning a page, you’re choosing your day. We all have a choice each morning to jump out of bed and take on the day, or well.. continue to sleep and let the morning get away.
Now I know some of you might struggle to jump out of bed, and some days I do too. But it’s something I consciously work on so that I always start my day on the right foot (unless I’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed… haha)
There could be lots of reasons you feel groggy in the morning, including going to sleep too late or not getting enough sleep (8 hours people!), pressing snooze too many times, being dehydrated, eating heavy meals at dinner time and eating too late (you should have at least two hours between dinner and bed time for proper digestion), drinking too much coffee (overworked adrenal glands), being overstressed (also adrenals), you’re genuinely just tired (in which case, you need this morning routine even more), or maybe you just need to change your body clock. Your body will adapt to whatever time you wake up in the morning as long as you continue to get up at the same time every day.
And once you’re up, you’ll notice that your energy will start to flow. It’s getting out of bed that’s the hardest part!
Your morning is the first part of the day – whatever you do in this part of the day sets the tone for the rest. We live in a world where we’re always ‘rush rush rush, go go go, achieve achieve achieve’. We’re constantly looking forwards, we’re always chasing happiness, meaning we never actually appreciate the moment we’re in. Waking up and jumping straight into work or rushing out the door keeps you in this hampster wheel cycle, and likely means that the rest of the day will follow.
Dedicating time for YOU in the morning, allowing yourself to just BE, where you can breathe, reflect and connect, is the recipe for a wonderful and fulfilled life.
Here are our 6 tips to turn your morning into a magical retreat:
1. Wake up early.
A decent amount of time before you have to go to work or start your daily commitments. I usually get up at 6/6.30 and don’t start working until 8.30/9am. This gives me plenty of ‘me’ time to chill and set myself up for the day.
2. Start the day with a beautiful quote or empowering affirmation.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve LOVED quotes. They’ve helped me get through the darkest of times, always reminding me to believe in me and grounding me back down to the earth. These days, I pull out a random card from our ‘She’ Empowering Quote Cards, read it to myself and put it next to my bed. Starting the day with such a powerful and positive thought connects me to what’s important and gives me that extra motivation to have an epic day.
3. Move your body.
For me it’s either a dog walk on the beach, a hike around the cliff tops, a sweaty gym sesh, a surf with my pals or some stretching. Whatever your body feels like doing, do that. Exercise gets your blood flowing, your heart pumping and your digestion moving. It also increases dopamine and endorphins in the body, giving you an extra ‘happiness’ boost. Maybe listen to a good podcast while you’re at it (I am LOVING Oprah Super Soul Conversations at the moment), or your favourite tunes.
4. Practice gratitude.
Every morning I not only think of all of the wonderful things I am lucky enough to have in my life, but I feel grateful for them with every cell in my body. Whilst this modern world we live in encourages us to always seek MORE, taking a moment to recognize the things you HAVE in your life rather than focusing on what you are lacking, creates a huge shift in perspective. We often forgot how truly lucky we are in Australia, living by the beach, in the countryside or in a beautiful city with a roof over our head, with money to spend on coffee with our girlfriends and foods that nourish us and make us feel well. It’s important to remember that we are among some of the very few people in this world with these luxuries. Gratitude has the power change your whole life experience.
5. Make a delicious nourishing breakfast, and eat it presently.
My fave at the moment is my antioxidant boosting, glowing smoothie bowl. I find that when I eat a bowl of nutritional goodness every morning I not only feel more energized, but I see it in my skin. My face is clearer and I have a pep in my step. I eat it without distraction, enjoying every bite.
My current fave is:
- 1 frozen Banana
- 1 cup of cherries & blueberries
- 1 serve pea protein powder
- Freedom Wellness Beetroot powder
- Puresque Collagen Booster
- 1 cup of water
Whizz in the blender, then top with cacao nibs, chia seeds, almond slithers and goji berries. SO delish!!
6. Breathe.
I don’t mean the type of breathing we do every day that keeps us alive, but long, slow, deep breathing. Breathe in for the count of 5, hold for 5, breathe out for 5, hold for 5 (known as Sama Vritti Pranayama in yoga). The more we learn to control our breath, the more we learn to relax when we’re in a state of stress, to address challenging situations in life with greater ease, and to support our bodies and minds to process and integrate our daily experiences. On a physiological level, slow and deep breathing allows us to move from our Sympathetic Nervous System (our fight or flight response) into our Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest) so that we feel relaxed and calm and ready to take on the day.
This modern day society tells us that we need to be rushing around and always be achieving, so we can have lots of ‘things’ and be a ‘success’. That being ‘busy’ is cool and if you’re stressed out to the max, it’s OK because you’re working hard.
Whilst I agree that we need to work hard for the things we want, and yeah – sometimes it’s stressful – I also believe it’s imperative that we enjoy the journey along the way. That we create space in our lives to actually just BE.
Making time for you in the morning will help you do just that.
Remember, you are worth every minute you spend on you.
With love,
Kate xx