So...this week I've been on a quest to reform my morning routine, which has been in decline for some time. What used to be a leisurely two hours comprised of Morning Pages, yoga, tea, and a hot bath has become a 45-minute mad dash for the door. Partially, this is due to our commute (which means that I have to wake up earlier than I used to) and therefore, sleep has become a precious commodity. However, this week I've been
making a conscious effort to to make my mornings a bit more tranquil. I've been packing my lunch and gym bag the night before, choosing the next day's outfit before I go to sleep, and just generally trying to relax (and take deep breaths!) - even when I realize we needed to be out the door ten minutes ago and I've yet to brush my teeth. I've even been managing to drink a giant glass of water with fresh lemon upon waking, and for the past couple days, I've forced myself to actually sit down and eat something (usually multi-grain toast with some raw almond butter or natural fruit preserves) before running out the door. I've definitely noticed that, when my mornings are peaceful, I feel more calm and centered throughout the entire day. I would love to get back into doing my Morning Pages and at least a few minutes of yoga, but when the alarm goes off, I have such a hard time deciding between that and a few extra minutes of sleep...What is your morning routine like? How do you make your mornings more tranquil?
Image via End of March.
12 comments:
By being woken up with a gentle kiss and hello by my husband as he leaves the flat, getting ready by myself and then hopefully a walk to work through residential London streets. It's less tranquil if I know we've a flat viewing (we're trying to sell ours) and then there's the 'making it look like you really do want to buy it'.
Only one more get up until the weekend - hurrah.
I have been working on my morning routine in microsteps, focusing first on things for my health. Oddly, having a schedule of medication and supplements and wanting to get a 30-35oz (about a liter) of water into me prior to leaving for work has made a world of a difference. I get up and right away take my nature-throid with 12 oz of water, then start getting ready for the day. I usually have another 12 oz of water about 20 minutes later. By the time I hit the one hour mark after taking nature-throid and can have something other than water, I am usually almost ready, so I have my powdered vitamin c with another 10-12 oz of water, and then i wait another 15-20 minutes before eating. By having that 60 minute mark and the then 75 minute mark, I have gotten the structure into my day. Usually I sit down to eat for 10-15 minutes, take the rest of my supplements, and then head out the door. Eventually, I would like to incorporate more into my morning routine, like when i used to do morning pages, and maybe eventually one day actually work out or do yoga in the morning, but i am really happy with the routine i have gotten into place.
PS - i agree that sitting down is key for breakfast. I still struggle with that some days - usually the days where i got up, had my first class of water and my thyroid med and went back to bed for a bit.
I was curious about your multigrain toast - I could swear you said you had gone gluten-free at some point - have you found a gf multigrain toast you like? Or maybe i misunderstood the you were GF only temporarily?
City Girl, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I am impressed that you drink that much water before work! I am constantly working on staying better hydrated.
Re: the multi-grain bread, it's not gluten-free. You're right in that I am trying to cut back on the amount of gluten that I eat (I've heard that extensive exposure to gluten actually puts you at risk of developing an allergy), but I don't eat completely gluten-free. I try to strike a balance, so I'll eat some complex carbs here and there, and also mix in some gluten-free products.
My morning routine is madness. I do lay out my clothes and most days I make lunch the night before but I am still dashing out the door! I would love to actually be able to get up and write or do yoga or have breakfast before I'm off and running.
My biggest struggle is getting to bed early enough so that I can also wake up a bit earlier in the morning. Unfortunately with my recent moonlighting as a freelancer, wedding planning, and regular daily to-do's, it's been nearly impossible to get to bed before 12 or 12:30. *yawn* But I am on a mission to try and make my mornings more zen so that starts with being strict about bedtimes!!
My morning routine is a mess. I literally get up 10 minutes before I leave the house. I work out at 5:30 a.m. and have to drive 20 minutes to get to my workout - so getting up at 4:50 is early enough! BUT, I do need to take city girl's advice and drink water in the morning - I never get enough water in during the day!
When I get home from my workout, ideally, I would like to take time journalling, reading the newspaper and just reflecting on my upcoming day (without getting too stressed). Eventually, I would like to spend at least 25 minutes creating peace in the morning.
Having read the previous comments, I'm feeling much better about my inability to get up, shower, eat breakfast, make myself presentable and get out the house in under 60 minutes. And I actually prefer 90 minutes so I can take care of a couple of minor household things that can seem so huge when I'm tired at the end of the day.
The only answer, for me, is to go to bed earlier to create enough morning time.
My ideal morning would be 30 minutes of pilates or wii yoga, a ten minute shower, followed by a simple, healthy breakfast with protein, fruit and tea, and catching up on my reader.
My normal mornings -- wake up 40 minutes before I need to be at work, take a five minute shower, try to brush my teeth and put on deodorant simultaneously, hair in ponytail, five minute make-up and a very "brisk" walk to work.
I want to reform myself so badly, but when the alarm goes off, I hit snooze about three times before I actually get up.
Ha! I laughed a bit as I read this, because this is me. My mornings aren't peaceful or zen like. They are crazed and I'm grumpy on my 50 min ride to work. I'm not sure why I didn't notice on my own, but I like you all drastically need a change here. I really wish I could talk myself into happily getting up before 6am. You have given some nice ideas to try! Good luck with your tweaks!!
Ugh. I've been struggling with my morning routine too...granted, having two small children doesn't help very much. But I am gradually making my wake-up time earlier so that I have enough time to get dressed, put on make-up, have a cup of tea, write morning pages and write a blog post. That usually gets my day off to a good start. But...I haven't been able to do that in about 8 months. I'm soooo looking forward to when I can do that again.
oooh I think I will model my week after what you have described here. I am a bit of a crazy hurried lady in the AM and I need to take those extra minutes at night to make my AMs more calm.
Thanks for the reminder Hope you did have that restful weekend :)
Thia has definitely been a struggle for me. For me, a tranquil morning means I need to have a tranquil evening before, and that usually doesn't happen. I'm working on it though!
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