Creating a Morning Wellness Routine Part 1

I’ve found that time and time again my actions in the morning affect the rest of my day tremendously.  What I’ve discovered is that creating a morning wellness routine deeply improves my mood and daily outlook.

The morning wellness routine may be thought of as a luxury, but in my opinion it shouldn’t be.  It’s a necessity like exercise or eating healthy.  It calms the mind and loosens up the body.  It provides time for the body to wake up and better prepares you for the day.

I’ve noticed when I don’t do my normal routine I easily feel stressed and negative thoughts more frequently swarm my mind.  To avoid this, I try to make an effort  to practice a morning ritual.  I’ve customized it for myself, but the great thing is you can create your own morning wellness routine.  The most important thing is to listen to what your body needs.

Taking a couple of extra moments in the morning can profoundly affect your day. Our founder Deborah Szekely mentions in her talk, Aging by Choice, how important it is to let your body wake up while you’re still in bed.  That is, when the alarm goes off, don’t jump out of bed and rush to get ready.  Stay in the warmth of your blankets and take some deep breaths, gently wiggle your feet and your hands, stretch and let your eyes focus.  This only takes a couple of minutes, but you will leave your bed feeling much more calm and happy.

Another important factor in cultivating morning wellness is to take time to listen to the mind and body – and not plug in. One of the hardest things to resist is looking at my cell phone while I’m still in bed or immediately after waking up.  Checking my cell phone right away is an addiction I’m trying to break.  I want to check my email or Facebook, etc., mainly out of curiosity first thing in the morning.  But what I’ve found is by doing that I give myself information overload before I even start my day!  It makes me anxious – which is the exact opposite of how I want to feel in the morning.  My advice and what I try to do is not check my phone while I’m still in bed.  I have noticed that when I don’t check my phone until I’m done with your morning wellness routine, there is huge difference in my mood.

In Part 2 I’ll discuss what I do for my morning wellness routine and give you some examples on how to create your own!