This Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
Fill your cup first.
If you were to ask people what I’m like, most friends and family would comment on how chilled out I am - in fact my mum would say I need a rocket up my backside sometimes! However, during the recent pandemic I found myself in a lockdown situation, starting a brand new job and feeling very overwhelmed and anxious by it all. My new team were super friendly and did everything they could to onboard me virtually. However, those small niggles at the back of my mind wouldn’t go away and I soon realised that the challenges of home schooling, living in each others pockets and trying to cram as much work into my early mornings (which were getting earlier and earlier, running reports before the kids woke up) all became too much.
I found that I was often most anxious first thing in the morning. When I opened my eyes, all of the worries and potential stresses of the day that await me, flood my mind. The pit in my stomach makes me want to stay in bed as long as I can so I don’t have to face the day ahead.
“Morning routines are powerful and set our pattern for the rest of the day,” Lee Chambers, an environmental psychologist and well-being consultant says. “A worry-filled morning will often flood into an anxious afternoon.” Conversely, starting the morning with intention creates a sense of calm and confidence that makes the rest of the day seem more manageable.
So how do you create a morning routine that is realistic and will make a difference?
Hal Elrod, author of ‘The Miracle Morning’ suggests introducing these 6 habits into your morning and you can spend as little as one minute on each:
Hal Elrod - The Miracle Morning
Silence to me, is sitting comfortably on the sofa with a glass of water or coffee and following my breath for a few minutes - even better if the sun is shining I’ll do this in the back garden and take in the nature (maybe watching the tortoises go about their slow paced life!)
A couple of example affirmations I’ve worked with recently are:
Adding value to other people’s lives, for example by bringing back my baby massage classes, I’m giving back to the community by providing a safe and friendly space for new mums, dads and carers to bond with their baby
Living in the moment - particularly with my family, so lots of laughing, having fun and playing games
Visualisation is about you being successful at your goals, so for me this is doing everything possible to celebrate what brightens my heart! As Albert Einstein said "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." So here’s my challenge to you - try to find at least one thing each day to celebrate. Celebrate the weather and being able to hang out the washing, a day time bath in peace, cooking those poached eggs just right, or your clean kitchen! The important thing is, it has to make your heart sing!
Exercise to me isn’t about getting a sweat on in the gym (unless thats your kind of thing!) but its more about moving in general. I’m a big believer in motion changing emotion and spending most of my career in the corporate world, I’d often prefer walking and talking during my 121s, rather than sitting still at a desk. For me, it might mean getting Alexa to blast out some tunes and doing the housework, or it might be doing a zumba class on zoom with Finn on a Sunday morning - that’s our time to bond too, he loves that it’s special time with me.
Reading is something I don’t do enough of and I’m the first to admit it. My family often joke about the fact that I get two pages into a book and either have to re-read the paragraph over and over. However, I’ve really got into audio books and podcasts recently, it’s like a half way house for me. I get to listen to stories, interviews and talks which inspire me and make me really think! One of my current visualisations is to allow myself more time to read paper books, as I think it’s important for me to not rely on technology and screens as much as I do!
Scribing is funnily enough something I’m doing right now as I type and I’m finding it hugely therapeutic. Initially, it can be really daunting to ‘put yourself out there’ when writing a blog. Once you get past this feeling, it’s actually good for the soul and definitely fills my cup. Writing can take on many forms though and you may find it more useful to do some gratitude journalling and listing 3 things you’re thankful for. Maybe your husband making you a morning coffee, the kids telling you they love you or the great catch up you had with a neighbour in the garden.
Finally I’d like to add my own personal two things to this list - colour and plants! According to a study from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, adults reported feeling happier when in the presence of the colours green and yellow. I just adore colour - one of my favourite designers is Orla Kiely - her designs are always super colourful and based on floral patterns. When we had the kitchen cupboards professionally spray painted a gorgeous deep blue colour, I also asked him to paint the range cooker bright yellow. I think my husband thought I was having a mid-life crisis, but it works! It’s a real bold statement and I love it! Yellow reminds me of sunshine and happiness. Plants have made me feel so much more connected with nature whilst I’ve been working from home. I’ve really enjoyed looking after them and watching them thrive as I’ve been trimming off brown leaves, keeping them watered and even polishing their leaves! Don't underestimate the power and importance of your physical environment - your home, your office and your car - anywhere you live. Paint it happy!
Orla Kiely plants
Of course, new routines take time to get into. Getting up on the earlier side so I have time for my morning routine takes real effort as I’m not naturally a morning person. It really does make a difference on these days, when I make a strong black coffee, hang some washing out, eat breakfast in the garden, go for a walk, write my to-do list for the day and when time is really on my side, meditating and journaling.
