Let’s face it we could all use a little more self-care. Now, when I say self-care a variety of images may come to mind. Some of which maybe as simple as exercising good hygiene or as extreme as a week long pampering at a spa. The reality remains that we ALL need to schedule in our down time. Too often we forget the importance of our well deserved downtime. As a by product we tend to become over stressed and overworked leading to an all work and no play type of scenario. However, avoiding these psychological breakdowns can be relatively easy with the right routine. This article will provide you with a couple quick tips to help you maximize your morning routine.
Morning Rituals: Practice Self-Care in the Morning
How do you start your day? If you’ve been trying to get up earlier so you can attain greater focus during your day, then you probably have heard that one of the key parts of getting there is through having a solid morning ritual. When you do a morning ritual, you’re more likely to have quiet reflective time to yourself. The next few paragraphs will be sharing a few ways for you to practice self-care in the morning.
Self-Care Starts in Bed
When you wake up, there’s no reason to jump up and start doing things immediately. Some health professionals are fairly vocal that such instant activity could harshly shock the system. That means that some light activity to help increase blood flow would be preferable, and even recommended. Give your body a chance to begin circulating your blood.
Stay Tech Free
When you first wake up in the morning as a tech connected person, the first thing that you think about is what might be going on in the digital world. Unfortunately, studies have begun to look at how the constant connection that people have with technology is starting to affect people and the information doesn’t look great. The amount of stress that people experience as a result of this continuous unbroken contact is kept at a consistent level at all times. Disconnecting can help break you away from that stress and give you time to think without the constant noise. You can reflect and process your thoughts.
To do this, keep your phone turned off and not anywhere near you when you’re sleeping. Wake up with a regular alarm clock instead of a phone alarm, and don’t check your phone until you have completed the rest of your morning routine.
Enjoy Fresh Morning Air
Even though you are breathing in and out every day of your life, breathing correctly still takes focused and deliberate effort until it becomes natural. It’s easy to forget about the rewards that you can gain from simply increasing the efficiency of one or more physiological systems.
Beauty and Pampering
One of the greatest things about having more time to take care of yourself, is that you get to spend time doing proper skin care. That’s a lot more comforting than tumbling out of bed, rolling your hair into a bun and trying to put on eyeliner while running full speed down a hallway to your car. Moisturizing skin and conditioning your hair does more than make you look and feel good, it can also help protect you from genetic damage caused by sun exposure and pollution.
Keep it Simple and Flexible
At the end of the day, what really matters is how you feel. Ask yourself if you feel good. There’s no reason why there have to be an arbitrary number of things that you have to do to make this experience complete. This is simply a guide that gives you options of things that you can try.
How you choose to start your day can directly effect how the rest of your day will go. Make sure you are heading in the right direction by creating a positive morning ritual. I would love to hear from you on how you make the most out of your morning routine. Be sure to post in the comments what your mornings look like. If you are struggling with creating a new healthy morning habit let me know and together we can find out what will work best for your life style. As always, if there is anything you need to talk about that you prefer to do in private feel free to contact me at [email protected].