How to Create a Simple Morning Routine to Energize Your Day
Is it time to create a morning routine or maybe edit the one you have?
Morning routines- or as I prefer to think of them, rituals- sometimes feel like they’re just trendy luxuries, but they actually are really important. They help to set the tone for the day ahead and can actually have a major impact on your energy, mood, and more.
But they don’t need to take hours and have 10 complicated steps.
Instead, focus on these 3 simple habits can help kick off each day on a positive note:
1) Get natural light in your eyes before any screens.
Natural light from the sun basically tells our bodies that it's time to start the day. In particular, it promotes a healthy rise in cortisol to positively support energy, mood, focus, and more.
And because light exposure regulates our circadian rhythm (the body's "internal clock"), morning light in our eyes actually helps with sleep, too. The natural cortisol increase in the morning is key for healthy melatonin production in the evening.
On the other hand, exposure to artificial light especially in excess and when overriding natural light cues easily disrupts this rhythm.
Screens can be so addicting, so here are some tips for breaking the habit of picking up your phone first thing in the morning:
Charge your phone outside of your bedroom. (Get an old-school alarm if you need!)
Keep your phone on airplane mode until a certain time each morning. (i.e. once you get your morning routine completed, leave the house, etc.)
Swap time you normally scroll with something else- a book, a puzzle, meditation, etc. (more on that below).
Wake 15-30 minutes earlier so you don’t need to get right to work once you’re up.
How much natural light? The goal is getting outside to look at the light (not directly of course) for at least 5-10 minutes but 10-20 on a cloudier day.
2) Put food in your belly before any caffeine.
As we sleep, our bodies are naturally fasting but our livers ensure we have plenty of glucose available to fuel us through the night.
But once we wake up, we need to break this fast to not only replenish, but also reduce the burden on our bodies and stabilize blood sugar.
Waiting too long to eat and especially consuming caffeine prior to food can cause an unfavorable increase in "stress" hormones like cortisol that leads to a rise (and then eventual crash) in blood sugar levels. It easily sets us on a blood sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day.
This can cause fatigue, sugar cravings, mood swings, lightheadedness, brain fog and more- and over time, disrupt hormonal balance, liver health, and overall resilience to stress.
Not hungry for breakfast after waking? This actually is a sign of a depressed metabolism and blood sugar dysregulation, so instead of ignoring it, try having something small to ignite the fire. Over time, the goal is to restore your appetite.
3) Take time for to get grounded for the day.
Think of this as a means of rooting yourself or finding your footing for the day instead of just jumping right into it.
Getting "grounded" gives us a chance to pause, reflect, and make decisions and plans for the day because our mental energy is less scattered or clouded.
And especially when we take time to prioritize ourselves- ideally without distractions and before we start giving our time and energy to others- we set the tone for the day and get into the headspace we need to tackle what's ahead.
This is open to interpretation but some examples include:
Journaling
Meditation
Breath work
EFT/tapping
Walking
Gentle yoga
Reading
Writing out goals/schedule for the day
What’s especially great about these 3 habits? For one, they can be easily done with kids around (my son often joins me on our balcony and we play “I spy,” and other times he just hangs out eating breakfast). and secondly, they can even be stacked if you’re short on time (For example, I typically eat a snack while getting sunlight and then read a bit before heading in to make coffee).
If you’ve got the time & energy to do 10 things each morning to start your day and that feels good for you- go for it! But if you don’t have the resources or even the desire to make that happen every day, keep it simple. Your self-care never needs to be all or nothing.