My 10 step morning routine

Would you describe yourself as a “night owl” and definitely not a “morning person”?

That used to be me, too. Well, it still is sometimes. Especially with a struggling thyroid.

As a teenager, I stayed up until the small hours of the morning and slept until 1pm on a daily basis. Once, a university friend even came over to make dinner at 5pm and I was still in bed! (Oh, to be fun-employed!).

These days, if I’m overdoing it or overstressed, getting out of bed can seem like an insurmountable feat. However! I am now armed with the power and wellness-prestige of a solid morning routine.

Before you start thinking, “Oh hell no, that’s not for me – I’m all about the snooze button!”, keep in mind that I FEEL YOU.

I’m not saying that the snooze button never calls me back BUT it’s not every day anymore… and what you make a habit is what makes the greatest difference to your reality – positively or negatively.

Setting your day up right

On days where I do most or all of my morning routine, I feel great. I feel energised, calm and centred. I feel excited and prepared for the day. I am less anxious, scatterbrained and frantic.

I used to go to bed DREADING the next day and could get ready (including showering and scoffing breakfast) in 20 minutes flat. I would ALWAYS wind up late, missing my bus and ultimately, feeling worked up and disconnected from myself – simply going through the motions.

Enter the morning routine. You’ve probably heard lots of wellness people harp on about these bad boys, but the reason they work so well is that it’s totally up to YOU what you do with them.

What will set you up best for the day? What is feasible? No pressure.

You can just keep making little additions until you feel SO DAMN GOOD that you want to make these things a non-negotiable.

So, here’s mine.

I don’t do it all every day. Some days I feel like a lay-in or I might fancy going to the beach or the gym instead.

Yes, a morning routine is productive and comforting, but only if it doesn’t become something else to flog yourself with when you don’t adhere to it 100% every damn day. An important point to remember ;).

Feel free to pinch ideas, add your own or simply laugh at the difference in mental picture: from nocturnal, party-animal sloth to yoga-loving, tongue-scraping health coach!

1. Get an early night

It’s not technically part of the morning but if I’m in bed by 9:30 pm, come the morning I’m a very happy camper. This also means I’m not panicking that I won’t get 8-9 hours sleep… and I know you can relate to those insomnia-creating feels when your phone tells you it’s T minus 6 hours until the alarm goes off.

I recently started diffusing lavender essential oil for an hour or two before I sleep as well. I find it gets me feeling nice and relaxed before I sleep.

2. Set an alarm for the same time each day and try not to snooze

I won’t pretend I don’t lay in sometimes at weekends but seriously, even if I feel a bit sleepy when I first wake up, I know that snoozing makes it ten times worse AND I lose the time I need for myself that morning.

3. Meditate in bed

I find that if I know my next step is something productive, but it also allows me extra time in bed, I’m much more easily convinced to do it. Simple but effective.

I practice Vedic meditation, so I do 20 minutes sitting up in bed and that is enough to convince me of the value of the morning routine. It boosts my mood, calms my racing mind and is also very restful, so I don’t end up feeling like I’ve missed out on sleep by skipping that snooze button!

4. Do some yoga

I only tend to do about 10 minutes of yoga in the mornings, but it means my body wakes up gently, I get some stretches in and I feel more deeply connected to myself. I like to put some music on too – something happy or calming, whatever I need that day.

5. Take my supplements and some ACV in warm water

I like taking apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach. It helps wake me up and keep my body alkaline. I then take my supplements and feel comforted in knowing that I’m nutrient-ed up to the nines!

As a Hashi warrior with a whole host of other things to heal like parasites, leaky gut, adrenal fatigue, immune issues, ETC., I have a BIG list of supplements which I’ll be sharing in a blog post soon.

6. Make a smoothie

I drink a green smoothie daily to help lower inflammation, boost my energy, hydrate my cells and load up on plant powered greatness.

I find it also helps with waking up my digestion and keeping me full until breakfast, which I have mid-morning.

7. Dry brush

Before I get dressed, I like to use a dry brush to invigorate my body and kick start my lymphatic system. This is especially useful because I have a lot of toxins to shift and my liver needs some support!

A secondary benefit to dry brushing is getting used to looking at, appreciating and ultimately, becoming more accepting of your body.

8. Get ready whilst listening to a podcast

I do my make-up, get dressed and all that jazz whilst listening to some kind of health, wellness or self-development podcast. The juicy advice, motivational tips and infectiously uplifting mindsets of these people make me feel really inspired at the start of my day.

They say you end up like the people you spend the most time around, and I believe the same is true for the kind of information you absorb. So, I choose not to absorb negative news stories, gossipy rubbish and musings from my inner mean girl.

9. Use a tongue scraper

Due to all of my immune system issues (like recurrent infections) and recent deep dive into Ayurveda, I’ve started using a tongue scraper in the morning. It helps get rid of all the crap I could be ingesting and adding to my toxic load.

“This ancient practice helps to stimulate the internal organs through energetic connections with the rest of the body, improve digestion by increasing your sense of taste, and cleanse the body by removing Ama and bacteria from your oral cavity.” (The Chopra Center)

10. Walk to work

I finish off my morning routine by walking to work, especially if it’s good weather. This is one of the things I look forward to the most – the ability to walk outside in nature for 40 minutes with nothing else I “have to” or “could” do.

Getting outside and incorporating this movement into my morning clears my head and becomes an excellent gratitude practice. This way, I walk into my day with a smile on my face instead of a frown.

I hope some of these make a difference to your morning!

Sarah x