Most people have a morning routine, whether they consciously realize it or not. Some routines work better than others for starting the day off on the right foot and I’ve found one that works well for me. Skipping this routine makes my day more challenging, so I make sure to give myself time to do it every day.
I have two alarms set fifteen minutes apart. When my first alarm goes off, I turn my light on and lay back down until I hear my second alarm. At that point, I turn off my fan, prop my pillow up on the wall at the head of my bed, and sit up while using my Kindle to see what’s going on with the people I know. After I’ve satisfied my curiosity, I sit on the side of my bed with my feet flat on the floor and my fingertips touching, close my eyes, and breathe deeply (I focus my breathing into groups of five in the following patterns: in and out through my nose, in through my nose and out through my mouth, in and out through my mouth, in through my mouth and out through my nose, and once more in and out through my nose). As I do this, I think of any negative thought or emotion I had the previous day or that morning and imagine it going out through the soles of my feet and down into the center of the Earth whenever I exhale. Taking a few minutes to do this each morning always makes me feel better, even if I was already in a good mood when I woke up. Once I’ve finished that, I’m ready to go about the rest of my day. I do a similar routine before I fall asleep at night, with the only differences being that I do the nighttime routine in the dark and with less structure to my breathing.
This isn’t the first morning routine I’ve used, though I think it has been the most beneficial. By cleansing myself of negativity through meditation and grounding shortly after waking up, I start my day off with a great deal of positivity; my experience has shown that it’s much easier to keep the day on the right track once it’s started there than to start the day off poorly and try to course correct afterward. Starting off right also makes it easier to get along with the people in my life as well as accomplish productive activities during the day, which makes me feel more satisfied and fulfilled when I go to bed at night. If you don’t have a morning routine, I highly recommend finding one. It doesn’t have to be this one; the point is to find one that works for you. Whatever you end up doing, I hope it helps you get started on the right foot and gives you what you need to successfully navigate your day.