I am a firm believer that the way you wake up and start your day will determine how the rest of your day plans out. I remind myself of this as often as I possibly can so that I make sure I wake up with purpose.
But let’s be honest, there’s tonnes of things we would all like to do in the morning, from writing morning pages to getting our to do list done, fitting in some exercise and making an instagram worthy breakfast. But who actually does all of it? How do people even have the time for it?
Well, plenty of people apparently. I’m not one of them – not every day anyway. Some days are better than others, especially when I’m working from home. However I find I get distracted easily by mundane tasks or by work. It’s so easy to roll over in bed and pick up your phone to start checking emails and notifications. Perhaps you just wanted to check the time but got distracted and suddenly it’s time to rush and get dressed.
I realised this wasn’t how I wanted to wake up and that things needed to change. I knew what I wanted to do but needed to change my habits. So I decided to start and that I would check in every week to see if I’ve fallen back into a toxic pattern of phones and noise and distractions. Which I did, but I just corrected it and started again.
The thing is though, other things do get in the way sometimes and you have to adapt. I’ve tried pretty much everything to make sure that I can fit a positive morning routine into my daily life easily, comfortably and without too much hassle. I’ve finally found what works for me and I’m going to share my way with you so that you too can wake up with purpose, in your true self and feel empowered for the day ahead.
One of the biggest things I did was to reorder my bedside table so that it was clear of any clutter and unnecessary items and instead placed things that would benefit my soul when waking up. I now have 5 very important things on it:
1. A notebook and pen that I love and is specifically for any journalling, dreams or thoughts I woke up with that I need to jot down and let go of. Sometimes there’s all this STUFF in your mind that just doesn’t need to be there for the rest of your day. Sometimes I simply see it as a brain dump and that’s that. Don’t even have to look over it again.
2. My iamaffirmation cards so that I can pick one out of the pack first thing as I stand up and know my mission for the day. A positive affirmation that will make me feel good and in my power. * I’ll explain a bit more about this further down.
3. A bowl of crystals that I feel connected to at that moment in time.
4. A cup or a reusable bottle of water with lemon – I often take one to bed with me ready for the morning and then will also get a fresh hot water with lemon once I’m up.
5. A watch/small clock so that I don’t need to check my phone for the time.
I have to be honest it took me a while to write in my journal on a daily basis and even now I miss out days when I don’t feel the need or want to write. But having the book there makes it easy and doable. Some mornings I pick it up and take it downstairs with me to sit down and write in when I’ve got my hot water. A little movement can help with the flow of writing I find.
What about my phone I hear you say. I put my phone on airplane mode as often as I can remember and I either leave it on the floor next to my bed or across the room so that I might as well look at it after I’ve done my affirmations at the very least. I’ve got better at leaving a few minutes before checking it and I never check my emails until after breakfast. That’s a big rule I’ve had to learn to stick to.
The important thing is not to put too much pressure on yourself to make your morning routine perfect. It’s about doing little things that will enhance your daily life.
Here’s how I wake up:
Before I open my eyes I take a moment to snuggle for a bit allowing myself to accept how much I love my bed and sleep and to be thankful for it. I allow myself to just be and remember any dreams I might have had through the night. I then reach over and either pick up my watch, journal or iamaffirmation cards. More often than not it will be watch, iamaffirmations and then journal.
The best thing I use EVERY day without fail is my iamaffirmation cards. It’s the easiest and simplest of practices but feels so much more powerful than many of the other things I’ve tried. It feels more personal and true and impactful.
To pick my iamaffirmation I always sit up and actually get out of bed. It feels like a positive and motivating thing to get out of bed for. Here’s how to do it:
Stand up, ask for the card you need today and pick one from the pack (without seeing the worded side) and then repeat the affirmation out loud so you are confirming that you are accepting and attracting it. I often do a warrior pose to get my body awake and really taking in the affirmation.
Then throughout the day if there is something that brings you down, you have a moment of self doubt, falter or need to be reminded of your ‘mission’ or purpose for the day, then you repeat your affirmation. Sometimes I get creative with it and draw it out or I meditate on it.