One of my 2020 goals is to create a morning routine that helps start my day in a positive way. Of course, I set all of my 2020 goals before I’d even heard of Coronavirus or ever imagined I’d be spending a majority of my year in self-isolation.
For a majority of my time in quarantine, I’ve really struggled with how to add structure to my days. Working from home is nothing new to me, but I’ve previously had morning deadlines or clients that required regular meetings. At the very least, I had yoga and dance classes to attend to help me break up the day.
All of that has pretty much vanished, but I am slowly trying to piece things back together and make something of this year that seems to be slipping between all of our fingertips.
For the longest time, I think I avoided created a morning routine because i just felt this anxiety as soon as I woke up that I should start work immediately.
At times, I’ve been so busy that yeah, I did need to start work as soon as I got up, but it’s not that way now. So, I’ll share with you what I’ve been doing lately — it will probably evolve over time depending on what I need, but it’s a start!
Wakeup & avoid the phone. This step is key. A dance instructor once told me to “Create before you consume” and I think there’s something to be said about starting the day intentionally for yourself and not getting hit in the face with news, social media, emails, or just general digital crap.
Put on music. Instead of turning on the TV, I made a Spotify playlist of all acoustic songs and I’ve been putting that on in the mornings as part of my routine. It’s calm, but motivating, and it’s not about news or anything controversial.
Make coffee & take vitamins. This is also vital… I’ve got to have my coffee. I know probably everyone starts their day by taking vitamins, but having this as a step sort of sets my day with intentions to make healthy decisions for my mind and body. I know I’ve eaten all kinds of things I wouldn’t normally eat during quarantine, but I’m trying to stick to my vitamins and supplements to get a good foundation.
Light candle & sage. While my coffee is brewing, I set up a little meditation/journaling area. I usually put everything on a tray on my bed. I light a candle and then I use the candle to light my sage bundle and cleanse my crystals and my deck of Daily Love Cards. I make sure I have my journal and pens or markers.
Pull a Daily Love Card. This is me dabbling into using cards to assist in my meditation. I got this deck recently and have really enjoyed using the cards to set an intention for my day or for my journaling session. Each card has a word on it like “desire” or “believe” and you can interpret it however you see fit.
Journal. Once I pull the card, I start journaling. I have never been one to regularly keep a journal, but I started one at the end of 2017 and turn to it whenever I feel like I need to… and it’s really helped me. I usually just write whatever’s on my mind, but I recently heard about “morning pages.” Basically you write 3 pages (or maybe you set a different amount for yourself) of ANYTHING. You don’t think about what you’re writing, and maybe you don’t even go back and read it; it’s basically a brain dump. This can be really helpful if you have nightmares and just want to release it, or maybe write down everything causing anxiety, etc.
Then move on to email… I journal for however long I feel I need to, and then I blow out my candle and move on to my computer and work. So far, it’s been a really great way to just set the tone for my day.
What does your morning routine look like? I’d love to hear what works for you these days.
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