The current quarantine has given me so much time to self-reflect, to plan for the future, to refresh my goals and to re-implement beneficial practices into my life that I let fall by the wayside. I’m not shy to admit that I’m the first one to let good habits drop once I start seeing the benefits. Once you feel great its easy to forget all the reasons that MADE you feel that way and slip back into bad habits.
Over time, great morning habits I had such as meditating, doing a movement session first thing in the morning and reading got replaced by bad habits like sleeping in, scrolling social media and wasting precious moments pointlessly dreading having to get out of bed. Basically starting my day on a totally unproductive foot. When as little as 15 minutes every morning of mindful action can set you up for not only a great day but a great life if you are consistent.
Having a morning ritual is one of the many habits of successful people and for good reason once you see some of the benefits I’ve listed below. I’ll also give you some ideas for creating your own morning ritual. Your ritual is something that can change and evolve over time but the key to reaping the benefits of a morning ritual (like anything else) is consistency!! It’s always better to shorten your morning ritual than not do it at all. If you think you “don’t have time” for a morning ritual than you’re someone who needs a morning ritual more than ever, because while it is one more thing on your to-do list it actually saves you time in the long run.
So in an attempt to maximize this time in quarantine, and to improve my health, well-being and productivity I am bringing the morning ritual BACK! Here’s what you need to know.
What is a Ritual?
First let’s clear up what a “ritual” really is. A ritual is not to be confused with a routine although the two are similar. Both a routine and a ritual are made up of actions performed in the same sequence everyday. How they differ is that a ritual is made up of activities that are meaningful to you and performed with focus, awareness and intention. The benefits arise from the focused attention. A ritual is often associated with spirituality which makes it only fitting for a morning ritual to include meditation, prayer and/or yoga. If you’re not into meditation right now (although I highly recommend it) then not to worry because there are no specific activities that must be included in your morning ritual, it should be activities that make you feel good and rejuvenate you for the day ahead.
A routine on the other hand can be done unconsciously and isn’t necessarily done for health benefits. You can still have derive benefits from a routine but the benefits go a little deeper with a morning ritual because of the importance of focused attention and not just “going through the motions”.
What are some of the benefits of a morning ritual?
I’ve included my favorite benefits of a morning ritual especially if meditation is one of the activities.
Cultivate Self-Discipline:
Many people think that they’re “lazy” or that they’re too tired, or they’re not motivated to do things when the reality of it is that in most cases they’re simply not disciplined. EVERYONE has a lazy side and a disciplined side but for those who have spent more time cultivating their disciplined side its easier for them to take right action. Whereas those who have spent more time cultivating their lazy side will find it more difficult to take right action.
The good news is that discipline is something that can be developed. Like a muscle, discipline needs to be developed gradually for best results. The morning ritual is a great way for beginners to start flexing their “discipline muscle”. Since Morning Rituals are performed relatively early in the morning its your time to practice discipline by getting up and doing something productive rather than hitting the snooze button or scrolling social media to see who liked your Instagram pics.
Increases your Productivity
If you add activities to your morning ritual that you usually have a tendency to say you don’t have time for such as stretching, or reading then you are obviously being more productive but it also increases the chances of you being more productive throughout the day because right action inspires more right action the same way inaction breeds more inaction. A morning ritual gives you some space and time for you and only you to be in the present moment which brings about clarity and peace of mind. This clarity and peace of mind frees up mental space for you to do more in your day. Compared to sleeping in and then waking up feeling rushed with your thoughts scattered and disorganized.
Deepen your Spirituality
Practices such as meditation, yoga, prayer and gratitude sessions can help you become more self-aware, more emotionally intelligent, more connected to a higher power. This connection brings you a greater sense of well-being, more contentment, more compassion, more peace, more self-confidence and more loving feelings. These positive states of mind will reduce stress in your life, improve your creativity and cultivate a mindset conducive to achieving your life’s goals.
Improve Your Willpower
Meditation can actually reduce impulse actions such as eating a cookie when you’re supposed to be on a diet and and will improve your chances of taking right action such as going to the gym instead of watching Netflix. This happens because the areas of the brain that are strengthened through mediation is the same part of the brain responsible for improving will power. It isn’t mandatory to include meditation in your morning ritual but I think its something worth adding.
How Do You Get Started?
You start by starting 🙂 Choose a few activities that bring you a sense of well being and/or accomplishment then put a time on how long you will perform each activity. You should be in the present moment while performing each activity. Start small if you are not used to having very much discipline in your life, meaning don’t come up with a 2hr long morning ritual that would require you to wake up an hour and a half earlier than normal if right now you are hitting the snooze button 17 times every morning.
Start your morning ritual when you are less likely to be disturbed, maybe getting up before everyone else in your house, or you may prefer to start your morning ritual after your kids have left for school. Just try to do it at around the same time every day and lastly CONSISTENCY IS KEY! It may be difficult at first to get up rather than staying in bed but the benefits are well worth the effort.
What activities can you do as part of your morning ritual?
Anything as long as its beneficial to you. So I wouldn’t put smoking a cigarette or having a beer on the list of a morning ritual as it only provides a false short term sense of well-being, but here are some ideas to get you going.
Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual
Meditate
Pray
Creative Visualization
Affirmations
Gratitude
Have a coffee or Tea
A glass of water or lemon water
Yoga
Stretching
Foam Rolling
Self Massage
Set your intention for the day
Plan your day
Make your bed
Write
Take a shower
Read
Go for a walk
Walk the dog
Crossword puzzle
Review your goals
Look at your agenda
Plan for an upcoming project
Work on your business
Breathing Techniques
Draw or any other creative work (paint, wood working, knitting etc)
Review your spending of the previous day
Type a blog post
Eat breakfast
My advice to you is to choose 3-4 things and work on them from 5-20 minutes each every morning. You can spend more time on each activity and/or add more activities as your discipline improves and as time allows. It’s okay if performing a morning ritual feels challenging at first, challenge is where growth happens after all, but the morning ritual shouldn’t feel like a huge burden that causes you anxiety and will in turn cause you to stop doing it altogether, which is why I really recommend easing into this.
Here is my morning ritual:
Make my bed
Drink a glass of lemon water
Meditate for 20 minutes
Movement sessions for 20 minutes
Make a tea (I say affirmations while preparing my tea) 5 mins
Read + write while drinking the tea 15-20 minutes (I read and write about whatever I feel like in the moment)
After this routine I feel rejuvenated, positive, productive and better equipped for whatever the day has to throw at me 🙂
If you have any questions about how to begin a morning ritual then feel free to reach out to me.
