4 Self-Care Ideas to Start Your Day
I am, without a doubt, a morning person.Remember in the Disney movie, Frozen, when little Anna told her sister, "When the sky is awake, I'm awake!" Me too Anna, me too.
Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, most of us have to greet the sun and get ready for the day in the morning. And how we spend this precious time can really influence how the remainder of your day goes. Here are four ideas to make the most of your mornings to get your day off to a good start:
Engage in a mindfulness practice.
Starting the day with clearing your mind can be an excellent way to begin your morning. As we shared with our blog on spiritual self-care, mentally tap into a mindfulness practice that helps you feel encouraged, motivated and/or peaceful to start your day.Mindfulness practices to consider :
Follow a guided meditation
Journal what you are grateful for or use a guided journal
Recite positive or self-loving affirmations
Begin your day with prayer
close up of flowers
Pour into your body.
Some of our most foundational self-care needs involve our physical bodies. As you'll recall in one of my earlier blogs, it has been a journey for me to commit to my physical self-care. But your physical self-care does not have to mean only heading to the gym -- pour into your body in ways that feel right for you, which could look like:
Make a nutritious breakfast smoothie
Stretch your body or practice yoga
Try a learning a few steps to a dance routine on Youtube
Tone your muscles with free weights or your body weight
Go outside for a brisk walk
There are a number of ways to take care of your body in the morning, as well as practice physical self-care. The focus of this practice is to intentionally do, eat, drink and fill your body with what it needs to take on the tasks of the day.
Intentionally use your commute time.
Whether you're a city person or in a more rural setting, your commute time is valuable! Take advantage of the time you spend driving to work, taking public transit or walking into your place of work by:
Listening to an awesome podcast, comedy show, or your favorite playlist of songs
Take a 'to-go' cup of your favorite tea or coffee with you to sip on your commute
Enjoy listening to an audio book of your choosing
Have a night routine to prepare for your morning.
You read that right -- sometimes, preparing for a well-spent day means getting ready at night!For my night owls out there, this could be very helpful if waking up early is not your favorite thing to do. Same if your mornings are super busy and time-limited -- try your best to utilize your evenings to cut down on time spent in the morning:
Pack your bag and prep your meals for the next day
Pull out the iron and get your next day's outfit ready-to-go
Create a to-do list of tasks that you want to accomplish the next day
Because your energy is the highest later in the day, use the evening to get ready for your morning. It can make waking up that much easier!
What self-care practices do you like to do in the morning?
