Every Day Is A New Start
Whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, we’d all like to make the most of our mornings. We all have our own morning routines, which can range from rushing to make the early commute, to sorting breakfast for the family, or booting up the laptop to work on projects from home. One thing most of us can agree on, though, is that the mood this routine sets us in can leave its mark on the rest of our day!
If you’re feeling particularly drained in your working week and mornings are feeling a struggle, or if you’d just like to improve your morning routine, you might be in need of some inspiration for a refresh to your morning habits. Keep reading to see how you can bring in some new, healthy hacks to your morning to get you in a great mood, whatever your day looks like.
Our Top Morning Hacks
Start Early!
Some of us are hard at work before sunrise, while others aren’t settling into the day until midday. Whatever your time schedule, allowing yourself to start a little earlier than usual in the mornings can give you a gentler start to the day, and set you in a more positive mood for the afternoon ahead.
When we hit snooze, sleep in, and leave our morning preparations to the last minute, we start our day feeling rushed and stressed before we’ve even had breakfast. Getting up a little earlier can allow us to slow down and allow us to wake our mind and body up in our own time, instead of racing the clock.
Earlier rising also creates time for you to add some items to your shopping list, clean up dishes from the night before, or pop on some laundry - ticking some of those pesky errands off your to-do list first thing can greatly improve your mood and focus you for the day ahead!
Get Outside
Many of us spend our days inside in office spaces, or lost in the stresses and errands of our work day. However, taking time to get outside, bring the outside in, or otherwise focus on nature, can help us reset, regain calm, boost our mood and decrease symptoms of stress and depression.
Whether you have the luxury of a garden space or park nearby, or you’re simply able to open up your windows and listen to morning birdsong over the traffic, creating space in our morning routines to connect with the outside world can be a wonderfully positive addition to our day.
Perhaps you could make time for a morning jog to get out into nature, or hang a bird feeder outside your window to attract birds to keep you company over your morning routine? Even bringing some houseplants or growing herbs on your kitchen window sill could be a great place to start.
Keep A Morning Journal
Take some time to sit with your mood and thoughts in the morning, and create space to keep a journal of these as part of your routine. The ritual of writing in a journal can help us clear, calm, and focus our mind for the day ahead, as well as allow ourselves time to connect with our feelings and keep mentally and physically well.
If you don’t already keep a journal, it could be a good idea to select a particular notebook to keep your thoughts in. Selecting a specific book, pen, time, and space to journal in can help establish journaling as part of your morning routine, and encourage you to keep motivated with this practice until it becomes a fixed habit.
Have A Good Breakfast
However consistent and nourishing your other morning habits are, if you’re skipping any kind of breakfast, your morning routine will only carry you so far before you find yourself feeling depleted and exhausted by early afternoon.
Having a balanced breakfast is certain to make the most of your morning. You can look to prepare a fresh meal each morning, prepare something overnight if your mornings are on a strict time schedule, or even pack something in your bag if you prepare to eat later in the morning. A combination of complex, slow-releasing carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins makes an ideal breakfast. This could be a salmon and avocado wholewheat bagel, granola with natural yoghurt and a nut butter, or even the classic bacon and eggs with toast.
Make A Plan For The Day Ahead
A morning full of healthy habits can be a wonderful start to the day, and you want to ensure you can keep the positivity flowing throughout the day. Moving from your morning routine into a hectic, unorganised day of mismanaged tasks and forgotten errands is a surefire way to bring your day down. But, taking time each morning to make a plan for the day ahead can make sure that your positive start carries forward into a positive and productive afternoon.
Try taking time each morning to make a plan for your day ahead, including any work tasks and meetings, as well as errands and household chores that need completing. Having a calm and focused approach to planning your day will allow you time to ensure nothing is forgotten, so you can refer to your list with confidence throughout the day.
Time To Seize The Day!
If you’ve felt uninspired by your morning routine or exhausted and apathetic as you work through your week, some of our habits above may be a great introduction into your morning routine for a brighter day.
Pick the most appealing or easiest to implement hack first, and see how it works for you over the next week. Introduce further habits in weeks that follow - a slow and steady approach in reinventing your morning routine will give you a greater chance at success than overwhelming yourself with a whole new routine in one hit! Allow yourself time to adapt to your new routine, take time to reflect, and enjoy a fresh new outlook on your day.
