Not All Morning Rituals Are Created Equal
Everyone has morning rituals, some people are just not aware of that. Because we all perform some actions when we wake up in the morning. And when these actions are being repeated daily they sooner or later become our morning rituals. Whether we like it or not.
So if checking your Instagram account is the first activity you do soon after opening your eyes every morning, this is your morning ritual. Even if you do it mindlessly, it’s still your morning ritual. Same as drinking a glass of water with your eyes still closed - still your morning ritual. What about reading the news or watching your favourite videos on YouTube? Yeap, they are still your morning rituals!
If you’re wondering why I am telling you all of these it’s because checking my emails and thinking about my problems used to be the first activities to perform immediately after waking up. And as you can probably imagine it wasn’t the best way to start my day, to say the least. But even then I knew that I needed a healthy routine to become my best self. To achieve that I’ve tested plenty of morning rituals to discover the most powerful and healthy ones. And as you can probably tell by the title I have FOUND them and I’m sharing them with you today!
I hope you enjoy it!
1. Express Gratitude
Remember the (pre-pandemic) time when we could travel without limits, spend Christmas with our family, meet our friends without worrying about “socializing safely”, going to the bank without wearing a mask or watching TV news without risking a major panic attack?
Well, that was before the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic. Then suddenly, everything changed. The entire world has changed. Our daily habits, customs and attitudes inevitably changed. Nothing is like it used to be. We didn’t ask for this change, it was forced upon us. And know we need to embrace this change as an opportunity to grow mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
2020 has made it quite clear that nothing should be taken for granted. And more importantly, everything we have in our lives should be appreciated MORE.
Finding gratitude when (some) things go wrong may not be the easiest thing to do and you shouldn’t force yourself to do that. But if you try to make a list of simple things that you can be thankful for (roof over your head, plenty of drinkable water, food, healthcare, education, access to the internet) even when times are tough it will completely shape your view of life. I know this from personal experience.
It’s been about a year since I started practicing gratitude every single morning. I took it up during national lockdown (here in Italy) and I had no idea how much this simple practice would change my entire life.
Practising gratitude in the early morning helped me to:
- ease symptoms of anxiety
- increase optimism
- refocus your mental energy on what I have instead of what I lack
- build more meaningful relationships
- develop a positive attitude towards your life
- embrace negative situations and turn them into opportunities to grow
I could go on and on, not because I am wealthy or privileged (it’s easy to say that someone is privileged if you no nothing about their past and current struggles) but because I’ve learned the art of appreciating the “little” things in life.
source: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/
2. The Wim Hof Method
I am sure you’ve heard about The “Iceman” Wim Hof method that combines 3 pillars; Breathing, Cold Therapy and Commitment. But have you ever tried it? If not, it’s time to get outside your comfort zone and unlock a multitude of benefits that this “simple” yet extremely powerful method has to offer.
Scientific studies have proven that people who follow the Wim Hof Method:
- have a stronger immune response to pathogens, compared to others
- their sleep quality has improved
- managed to lower their blood pressure naturally
- improved their metabolism
- successfully dealt with depressions
- improved their mind-body connection
- recovered from severe burnout
- found relief for the symptoms of Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Autoimmune disease, migraine headache attacks or even Lyme disease
On the official Wim Hof Method website here, you can find out all the benefits of his method, plenty of testimonials, free tutorials, free eBook, courses, scientific research that proves his method to be extremely beneficial and more importantly simple tips that can help you to start practising The Wim Hof Method today on your own at home using the official online video course or by finding a certified instructor.
3 Pillars Of The Wim Hof Method
Resources
My Experience
After almost 12 months of daily powerful breathing exercises, increasing willpower and cold showers I can claim to be cured of my severe anxiety, cold intolerance, brain fog and insomnia. As you can probably imagine not having these symptoms has improved my life significantly.
Practising the Wim Hof method not only cured my symptoms but also helped me to take control of my mind and life.
3. Practice Mindfulness
According to the results of scientific research carried out by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School people who meditated over an eight-week period had a striking change in the expression of 172 genes that regulate inflammation, circadian rhythms and glucose metabolism. But that’s not all, because the researchers also found meditation helpful for relieving symptoms of depression, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder. If these results don’t convince you, then I don’t know what… actually, I know!
Personally speaking, I can tell you that Mindfulness meditation is one of the most effective relaxation techniques that will help you to regulate your emotions, relieve stress and lift your mood in a few minutes. And it’s completely free! All it takes is a little know-how and some willingness to try it.
Below you will find 3 types of Mindfulness meditation techniques you might like to try and if you look for guided Mindfulness meditation check out the links below:
Types Of Mindfulness Meditation
Guided Meditations - Guided meditations are highly beneficial for both mental and physical wellbeing. They are a powerful tool in building self-awareness, gaining a new perspective, reducing stress and anxiety, accepting your feeling and emotions without judging them, increasing creativity and motivation, connecting with your higher-self, establishing a healthy relationship with your self, creating a mind, body, and spirit balance
Breathing Exercises - Mindful breathing exercises have a variety of benefits. Since we can control and regulate our breath we can use a simple act of inhaling and exhaling as a powerful tool in reducing stress, anxiety or getting rid of negative emotions like anger or frustration. Focusing on your breath can also improve your attention, concentration, and self-awareness.
Body Scan Meditation - It’s a powerful component of mindfulness practice designed to develop self-awareness. In particular, it’s a way to get in touch with your body. A way to narrow your complete attention to the one part of the body to move to the other part right after that. Body scan meditation practice improves the ability to move the attention up or down to the body. It trains your mind to switch your focus from detail to the wider one.
Best Mindfulness Meditation Apps In 2021
- Headspace Meditations, Mindfulness & Sleep (Android / iOS)
- Calm Meditation and Sleep Stories (Android / iOS)
- Aura: Sleep & Mindfulness (Android / iOS)
- 10% Happier: Meditation & Sleep (Android / iOS)
- The Mindfulness App: relax, calm, focus and sleep
(Android / iOS) - Insight Timer - Meditation for Sleep & Anxiety (Android / iOS)
- Smiling Mind Meditation for all ages (iOS / Android)
Download Your FREE Printable Self-Care Worksheets!
"There is only one journey. Going inside yourself."
4. Journaling
Everything you are searching for is already within you. You have talent, passion, unlimited potential, motivation, happiness, love, confidence, high self-worth, creativity, courage, and all the qualities required for success in life within you. You are complete on your own. And yes, you are enough. You don’t need to rely on external validation.
Furthermore, all of the answers you seek are also within you. You don’t need to go anywhere to find them. So, that’s good news. The other news is that you need to delve deep into yourself to get what you need for creating a happy, fulfilling meaningful and successful life. In other words, you need to take the first step on the journey into knowing yourself.
There are many different ways to dig deep into yourself to understand who you truly are, find your life purpose, and unlock your full potential to fulfill your dreams but in my personal opinion journaling is the best and easiest one. That’s why if you want to get to know yourself better and connect to your intuition you should start a morning journaling ritual. Writing morning pages will help you tremendously to organize your thoughts, manage your emotions and find the answers you’ve been looking for.
This workbook (53 pages) is designed to help you maximize your productivity and increase your effectiveness without sacrificing your life balance.
Whether you work from home during the Coronavirus Pandemic or thinking about starting a side hustle, this workbook can help you build a more thoughtful work-from-home strategy, bring structure to your workday and create a healthy work-life balance.
INCLUDED:
- Tips for Working from Home Effectively
- Tips To Stay Organized & Motivated
- Tools for designing your own schedule, rock your to-do list and create an ideal daily routine
- Time Management Tips (The Eisenhower Box, The Pareto Principle worksheets included)
- Yearly, Monthly & Weekly Goal Setting (+ Goal Progress Index)
- Yearly, Monthly, Weekly Planner
- Daily Plan & Schedule
- Monthly & Weekly Organizer
- Time blocking method schedule
- Daily Routines for successful entrepreneurs
- Work Task Checklists
- Powerful Work-Breaks Planner & Checklist
- Yearly, Monthly, Weekly Project Planner
- Creative Worksheets
- Password Keeper
- Healthy Meal Planner
- Flow State & Mindful Motivation Checklist
- Professional Skills Development Tracker
- Healthy Habit Trackers
PERFECT FOR:
- Small Business Owners
- Work from home Moms & Dads
- People currently working from home due to Coronavirus
- Entrepreneurs
- - Direct Sales & Network Marketing
- Etsy Shop Owners
- Online Shops
- & more!
5. Dancing
Realistically speaking is there any better way to start your day than by jumping out of your bed and start dancing to your favourite song? Honestly, I don’t find any other activity as fun, joyful and self-entertaining as dancing. Not to mention that if you do a little dance in the early morning you will feel active and energetic for the whole day!
Moving your body when listening to your favourite jams puts you in an instant good mood, boost your energy through the root and speed up your metabolism. And if you’re like me and you love late-night snacks, dancing in the morning will help you to stay in shape.
Searching for a secret to having a great day?
Make dancing in the morning a daily practice, create a positive vibe playlist and dance like nobody’s watching to kickstart your day (every day!)
Grab Your Free Printable Workbooks
Best Posts Powerful Routines:
- 7-Step Work From Hoem Routine To Boost Your Productivity Levels HERE
- How I Became A Morning Person HERE
- Perfect Morning Routine to Reduce Stress & Anxiety HERE
- Plan A Successful Week in 7 Simple Steps HERE
- The Ultimate Night Routine For Better Sleep And More Productive Mornings + free printables and checklists for organizing your evenings HERE
- In Search Of Sleep – Get a Good Night’s Sleep with this Healthy & Productive Night Routine + lots of freebies & Ultimate Bundles HERE
- How I Deal With Insomnia. 10 Proven Tips To Get Quality Sleep Again. HERE
Stay positive, be mindful and develop powerful morning rituals for health, productivity &, balance!
xo Kate
