I’ve spent years seeking morning routine inspiration and looking into wellness studies. After much trial and error, I’ve finally created a process that makes it easy to have a daily routine that can consistently be maintained. Here’s how to get yours started in five simple steps.
Block out your time
Look at your daily calendar and figure out what hours are already taken up by work and other obligations. Next, take a look at how many hours of sleep you are getting per night – 7-9 hours per night is the recommendation, depending on your age. Factor this into your daily schedule. Now, how much time do you have left? This is your time. If it’s only 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at the end of the day, that’s ok. Don’t get disheartened. It’s your starting point.
Keep it simple
When looking at what wellness activities you want to try to fit into your daily routine, keep it basic. While I would love to include an hour of dancing, yoga, a nature walk, and an hour-long meditation into my daily schedule, it’s just not going to happen. Focus on using your available time to feed your mind, body, and spirit. Consider any additional wellness activities as a bonus.
Choose an activity for your mental health
Depending on your needs, this might be an activity to help you relax and de-stress at the end of the day, or it might be an activity designed to help you build a positive mindset. Keep in mind that everyone relaxes in different ways. While some people relax via a soak in the tub, others might be “active relaxers” – in which case cooking a meal or exercising might be the answer. If you’re not sure where to start, give yoga or meditation a try. Both practices offer positive mental health benefits.
Get physically active
At the very least, aim to simply start the day off right. Have a nutrition-packed breakfast and take any supplements that have been recommended to you by a reliable healthcare practitioner. Popular breakfast choices among plant-based doctors include steel-cut oats topped with fruits and seeds, smoothie bowls, and tofu scrambles. In terms of exercise, find something that you enjoy. This might be dance, rock climbing, swimming or Krav Maga. Try new things until you find something you enjoy.
Cater to your spiritual well-being
While studies have found that spirituality and religion can be largely beneficial to our physical and mental health, this practice will depend on your personal beliefs. For some, it may mean starting the day off by reading a page out of the Bible or Bhagavad Gita. For others, it might be reading Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. If you’re like me, you’ll be mixing it up and trying to educate yourself on as much as possible. Dalai Lama XIV was pretty onto it when he said: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Enough said.
Related Article: Supplements to Have in Your Cupboard at All Times