THE BEAUTY OF MORNING ROUTINES: STARTING YOUR DAY WITH INTENT AND ON A GOOD NOTE

I cannot tell you how many days I have wasted by waking up and going straight to scroll on my phone. I would spend at least 30 minutes scrolling on TikTok and Instagram, and by the time I would have to get up, I would feel too demotivated to even make my bed. I did not have a morning routine, I did not have a productive morning and after being on my phone for so long, I would just roll out of my bed with no idea of how to start my day. Then after years of waking up with no morning routine, I started taking walks every morning, which became an everyday thing. I started following a sequence, then realized how my routine helped me. It helped me to start my day on a clear mind and my days became more productive. My routine includes doing my quiet time, having a 10-minute worship time, then taking a 10 - 15-minute walk.

What is a Morning Routine?

According to Science of People, a morning routine is a set of habits you commit to complete every morning to set yourself up for a successful day. Meanwhile, a morning routine for me is anything healthy enough for you to do before your day starts. For example, the first thing I do every day when I wake up is to get up and make my bed. I cannot do anything if my bed is not made, it's what I consider healthy. For another person, however, they might be able to start their day with anything else before starting their day. Our morning routines might not be the same, whatever works for you might not work for me, and vice versa, and that is completely fine.

Is a Morning Routine really a big deal?

Cheryl Beutell, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Northwestern Medicine said, "As clinicians, we want you to find ways to make routines that support better health". Ever since I started my morning routine, my body functions better. I don't get tired easily, my sleeping patterns are much better and I am less stressed about finishing my duties on time. 

I asked a friend of mine, Thulani, a Psychology student from the University of Johannesburg and the president of the UJ UNICEF, to shed some light on what he thinks about morning routines. He said that morning routines help to break down your goals into different parts. He mentioned that it depends on what kind of a person you are, and that if you are an organized person you need to have a morning routine because psychologically you will feel uncomfortable without one. Then some people can wake up and just carry on their day without a morning routine and they will feel comfortable. Thulani's morning routine is: to shower, study, check his emails, and make communications to his colleagues at UNICEF.

How to stick to your routine

Firstly, start slowly and with something light such as taking a 15-minute walk. You can start doing that for two days a week, then three, and so forth, until you make it a daily morning routine. Secondly, don't try to be like anyone, don't try to copy anyone's routine. Do whatever feels right to you, as long as it's healthy and it gets your day started. Lastly, if you see your routine as a task, it's probably not the routine for you, change it. Remember that you can change it until you feel comfortable and until you find what works for you.

Ciao

That's it for today, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope it helps you understand why a morning routine might be helpful for you. This is the first of many and I hope you are here to stay. Until we meet again, comment down below and tell us if you have a morning routine and what your morning routine is like. Bye!