Social media has definitely made the ‘morning routine’ a bit of a ‘thing’ in recent years, especially in the wellness industry, with many of us showing you what we do each morning (myself included) – be it a mediation session, a flawless-looking porridge or smoothie bowl, a 6am sweaty fitness class or putting together a perfectly matching activewear set. I’m not saying that these things don’t happen, but for me, they don’t happen every single day.
I asked for YouTube video requests and to film my morning routine came up quite a few times, which is what led me to write this blog post. I can show you my morning routine in an ideal world, but I don’t want you guys thinking that my life happens like that every day, because it sure as hell doesn’t.
I’ve just finished a 15-minute mediation session and will have my porridge after writing this blog post and having a short wiggle around on my mat (maybe just 10-minutes to assess how my body is feeling), BUT I think it’s important for you guys to know that life doesn’t work like this every single day. Sure, maybe for some people it does, but I know that for me there are days when I don’t meditate at all because I’m human and I’m probably running around from job to job just like many others. Does this make me a bad yogi? Nope, it just makes me human, a human trying my best. And yes, there a days that I avoid meditation because I know my emotions are a little all over the place and I’m not ready to face them. This is something I will forever be working on.
Routine is a wonderful thing and can really help with mental health, anxiety and productiveness, I’m just not one of those people who finds it easy to do the exact same thing each day. Trust me, I’ve tried over the years. I know some can, my brother has a regimented routine each week with regards to his work, studying, fitness, daily strolls and reading. I’m always so amazed by him to be honest, it might be down to the fact he doesn’t have social media and is therefore never distracted. I, on the other hand, will see a photo of a cute puppy on Instagram and before you know it 30 minutes has passed looking at many more puppies and I’ve run out of time to perfectly lay the blueberries on my porridge so they get thrown on instead. I also think it has a lot to do with the nature of my job. I have no set weekly routine with regards to work and at the moment I’m traveling a lot. If you are in a similar situation, then stop beating yourself up about not fitting in time to charge your healing crystals before work!
At this point in the blog post I would like to give you some tips on how to start your morning routine, but I’m not sure I’m qualified for the job! 😉 I’ll do my best though…
- Know that your morning routine starts the night before. There’s no point saying you’ll get up at 6am if you’re going to bed at 1am. I’m usually in bed by 10pm, asleep by 10:30pm and then awake at 6:30am.
- Set a time frame in which you’d like the morning routine to happen.
- If you’re anything like me, add an extra 15-minutes for puppy-photo browsing! 😉
- I have a diary that I write my to-do list in each day and I include my morning routine in this. Get yourself a little diary or have a pen & paper, so you have the satisfaction of ticking things off as you go.
- An example of how my routine goes on a good day is: 6:30am alarm, 15-minute meditation until 7am, mug of warm water & lemon, followed by a cup of tea, 10-30 minute stretch out on my yoga mat, then breakfast.
- Apparently it takes around 40 days to get in and out of a habit, so be dedicated and know that it won’t get easy until you’ve given it a fair amount of time.
Hopefully these tips help you all find what you’re looking for each morning. Remember that what you see on Instagram are the highlights… from me too. This blog post isn’t about shaming Instagrammers who share nice morning photos, as I’m one of them and I love seeing that stuff, this is just to tell you that you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t have a routine. You might never have a routine and that’s ok too.
If you’re not already, come and hang out with me on my Instagram. Oh and shop my awesome PJ bottoms here – they were only £10!
Love, Cat x