Wake up at the crack of dawn, make the bed, don’t even think about picking up your phone, drink a glass of water, meditate, set intentions, drink another glass of water—but this time heat it up with lemon juice, diffuse essential oils, workout, make a smoothie full of every latest health supplement (looking at you, bee pollen), drink another glass of water—but with collagen this time around, make coconut coffee and throw some ghee butter in there, dry brush…all before you actually start your day. Sound familiar?
Don’t get me wrong, everything listed above has its health benefits. It’s also how my personal routine looked for years. The problem? I never enjoyed it as much as I supposedly should have.
I felt stressed to rush through my morning schedule the second I woke up. A routine that was supposed to be nutritional and good for the mind, body, and soul was instead becoming a burden.
After one too many crazy mornings, I decided to throw the structure out the window. Coming up with my own morning flow allowed me to be present, while I was previously checking things off a list on autopilot. It was when I really started listening to my body and needs that my mornings started being for me—and way more enjoyable!
If you’re currently dreading your a.m. routine, ditch it and instead see where the morning takes you. Here are 5 ways to do that:
Try waking with the sun
Instead of letting an alarm be the first thing you hear, see how your body does with waking up to the sun. It’s gentler on our systems and can leave us more energized, seriously! Open your blinds before you go to bed—and set a backup alarm if you’re a heavy sleeper.
Source: @alainakaz
If you want to look at Snapchat, look at Snapchat
OK, checking emails the second you wake up might not be the most peaceful idea, but if you truly enjoy a little social media scrolling in the morning, just do it! Seeing what your friends did the night before or silly Snapchats surely can’t be harmful to your day. Give yourself a few minutes to look, then get out of bed.
Source: @rachlmansfield
Eat what feels right
Some days you might feel like a smoothie packed with endless healthy supplements, and some you might feel like a quick piece of toast. Keep easy, nutritious food on hand, like whole wheat bread and almond butter for lazy mornings, or a bottle of green juice for when making a smoothie sounds horrible. Give yourself options and eat what sounds best that day—or what you have time for. Just don’t spend time beating yourself up over having “the right” breakfast.
Rethink the morning workout
Rushing to a morning yoga class then speeding home to get ready defeats the purpose. Give your morning an honest look and if a workout doesn’t fit in seamlessly, don’t force it. Try taking a walk or run at lunch or an evening class with your coworkers.
Source: @barre3
Let wellness be flexible
With all the wellness content out there, you can feel like a failure if you’re not structuring your morning perfectly. Don’t feel bad if meditating doesn’t sound appealing; find the practices that feel good to you. Maybe that’s writing in an intentions journal and maybe it’s simply taking your dog for all walk—both healthy ways to start your day.