I'm more of a night owl, but I absolutely love my mornings. For the longest time I wanted to be a morning person who wakes up at 5 am excited and motivated to get 3 extra solid hours of productivity in their day, but that's not quite how it is for me.
In this post, I'm sharing how my morning routine gets me in the most positive, high vibe state so that I can feel balanced, happy, and crush my day.
My morning routine takes just over 2 hours. I work from home so I happily wake up around 8:00 am each day on auto-pilot. For me, waking up at 8 am is not some strategy to reach my fullest potential. It's time for me to leisurely enjoy my morning with a cup of tea and my thoughts, no obligations or pressure.
Here's my routine...
Say thank you.
My morning routine starts before I even get out of bed. I don't check my email. I don't hop on social media. And I don't consume the news. I say thank you. I thank God for a new day, my health, a roof over my head, a warm bed and pillow, and for an abundant, prosperous, and happy-filled day. I could never begin my day without gratitude.
Rehydrate.
After many hours without food or hydration, I'm certain my body is thirsty. I keep water next to my bed and hydrate myself throughout the morning. Some mornings I'll have hot lemon water because it's detoxifying and refreshing, helps my digestion, and keeps my immune system strong with all that vitamin C.
Say my morning affirmation.
Each day I have an affirmation already written on a sticky and posted on the wall next to my bed. I repeat my affirmation (and visualize it) until I conjure up a feeling of gratitude and happiness.
Raise my vibration.
The morning is a great time to raise my vibration because it's starting at a neutral place; the perfect time to immerse myself in positivity. I listen to something motivational or healing frequency music for about 30 minutes. I usually go for something on Meditative Mind or ZenLifeRelax. So that I don't have to scroll through YouTube (and all the crazy headlines) to find something to listen to, I save the links on my phone so all it takes is a click. I relax, clear my mind, and feel the vibration of the music or the message.
Let the light pour in.
After spending about one quiet hour in bed, I open all of my windows to let the sunlight in. Sunlight puts me in an energetic and happy mood. Open windows warm up and brighten my space.
Nurture my plants.
My indoor trees and plants get love from me every morning. I say hello to my two fiddle leaf fig trees, spritz them with warm water, stroke their leaves, and ensure they get the sunlight they need.
Nurture my hair.
Just like my plants, I give my hair a lot of love too. I'm on a journey called "operation waist length" so my goal over the next two years from the time of writing this post, is to grow my hair to waist length. I stay away from hair products with harmful chemicals and toxic ingredients. Every morning I warm up a bottle of hair growth oil full of nourishing herbs, add it to my scalp and give myself a scalp massage (feels so good). Then I spritz my hair with warm water, add my favorite hair milk and oil to my strands, and proceed with a regimen called The Greenhouse Effect. My natural (kinky curly) hair is thriving and I'm on my way to waist-length. Shout out to all my natural kinky-curly girls out there!
Nurture my body.
Eat breakfast.
I never skip breakfast (not anymore). I either have a protein smoothie, avocado toast with eggs, or a protein rich breakfast. I never ever have sugar for breakfast. Sugar is bad news, especially in the morning. I quit sugar more than 7 years ago. Here's why.
Move my body.
I'm really bad at maintaining a workout routine so I don't bother trying to force it. After breakfast, I do whatever I'm in the mood for that gets my body moving. I may get out for some fresh air and have a walk, do yoga, or dance to a few of my favorite songs.
Have a bath.
I take a bath every morning. Soaking in a tub is so relaxing, it hydrates my body, and it gives me time to freshen up after being active. After my soak, I rinse off, and slather on some organic olive oil.
Do my facial routine.
My skincare routine is even more simple than my hair routine. I work from home so most days I go makeup free. Honestly, if my routines were complicated, I probably wouldn't enjoy them very much. I exfoliate, use a toner, add my vitamin c serum, a light moisturizer and a little facial oil—and done.
Start my projects.
Once I've taken care of me (well rested, vibing high, nourished, and feeling smooth as silk), I begin my projects at 11:00 am. There's no trying to figure out what to do next. My project schedule and consultation times are planned out each week so that I don't get disorganized or overwhelmed.
I absolutely love my mornings. I'm happy with the time I have to just focus on myself. I don't need an alarm clock, I don't have to hit "snooze", and I don't have to force myself to get out of bed. My mornings are spiritually, emotionally, and physically rewarding.
I have the book The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) on my reading list. Notice it says BEFORE 8 am. With over 4,000 good reviews, the book description says it'll show me how to wake up with even more ENERGY, MOTIVATION and FOCUS. I'll be sure to report back. I'll also share my nighttime routine if you'd like. Just let me know below.
How do you start your day? Do you have a morning routine? And I'm curious to know what keeps you from sticking to a good habit.
Wanauma
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wanauma Graham is the founder and creator of BossFreeMedia.com, a hub for self-made women (…in the making) and self-development content. Wanauma’s books include Ditch Sugar for 365 Days, Totally Unstoppable, Her Mark and most recently, a collection of journals and planners.