Do you get up in the morning, reach for a cup of tea or coffee, maybe a cigarette and other stimulants, rush a quick bite to eat run out the door and get on with your day. If you do then you are probably like most people and very much like I was except I used to miss the breakfast, making it even worse. I found I was always going through sugar dips and then stuffing my face with unhealthy snacks. On top of that I found my mood was low and I could not lift the fog that I felt when I woke up and would go through the day on caffeine and nicotine. Over time I paid the price for this as anyone will eventually and found I was total exhausted and lacked enthusiasm for anything. Then with the addition of difficult personal issues I got so low I was then give the one size fits all solution by the doctor and put on anti-depressants. Aften 6 months of being on them I realised it went completely against my principles and decided to quit. This was easier said than done and I had extreme dizziness when trying to stop and it took much longer than expected.
Now all of this is said back to a morning routine and how this can help all of us to improve our lies in general. The morning is a great time of the day, it is a new beginning and we all like one of those. It is important to view each day as something special and your morning routine can help you to realise this and also to appreciate yourself a lot more. Everyone’s routine will be tailored to what they find works for them but it should be something that nourishes your mind, body and spirit. You may have to try different things to see what works for you but you will notice significant benefits.
So what is my daily routine like? Well the first thing to say is although I generally do not start work until around 9.30am I will get up between 6 and 6.30am. This gives me plenty of time to spend on me before I have to begin working. When I get up I will begin with a meditation and depending on the time I have I will do 15-20 minutes. I then go to the mirror and do my affirmations as well as writing the most important ones out a few times. Depending on the time I will either do a visualisation or do some reading, this could be motivational books or some of the magazines I subscribe to that are of interest to me. During this time I will also dring plenty of herbal tea to rehydrate me from the previous night.
At about 8am I will get my swimming gear on and go round the corner to my local gym and swim a few lengths. I will then go in the sauna and steam room where I will also do some visualisations if I have not already done them. Once I am showered and dressed I will come home and have breakfast which usually consists of granola with some fresh fruit and with coconut milk or soya yoghurt, herbal tea and fruit juice with my vitamin and mineral supplements. It is worth mentioning that not ll my days involve swimming, I alternate swimming with yoga practise but you get the idea.
Once I have been through all this I am ready to face the day with great vigour and unlike most people do not feel rushed and harassed. If you find your days getting away from you then think about getting a morning routine and see the difference it can make. If you are short for time think about getting up an hour earlier as you will feel better and not notice the reduction in sleep. I would love to know about your daily routines or if you are new to this let me know what you think.
