By Lucy Wilcher

A ritual is a ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed with intention, deliberation, and meaning. A ritual is more than a set of habits or behaviours. Rituals combine meaning, feeling, and order - like flowing dance. Each behaviour transitions from one to the next all working together to get you ready for your day.

Imagine starting your day with a ceremony that you specifically designed to support you in having a great day.

BENEFITS OF BUILDING A MORNING RITUAL?

Reduce stress and anxiety and feel grounded
Improves productivity for the day ahead
Allows you to feel in control of your day and schedule
Prioritizing YOU time.
Develops healthy habits like movement and mindfulness

WHAT THINGS DO I INCORPORATE INTO MY MORNING RITUAL?

I like to split it up into 2 sections:

MIND/SPIRIT

-Watch the sunrise

-Mindfulness

-Breathing exercises

-Gratitude

-Journal

-Affirmations

-Engage in a hobby e.g., gardening or reading.

BODY

- Movement

- Wake up at the same time and get up!

- Hydrate

- Make nourishing breakfast

-Make the bed

-Shower

-Skin routine

Let’s dive a little deeper into these…

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Saying positive affirmations out loud or writing them down can help to support positive self-talk, build confidence, and counter the negativity.

Examples of positive affirmations:

I am fearless and comfortable in my own skin
I am worthy
I trust that I am on the right path
Am I good enough? YES, I AM.

MORNING MOVEMENT

Morning movement may look like this.

Going for a walk/ run
yoga
Pilates
Stretching
Weight training

Benefits include:

Support the sleep-wake cycle
More energy and focus for the day ahead
Reduce stress and boost mood - hello endorphins

MINDFULNESS/MEDITATION

Daily meditation or mindfulness practice has many mental and physical benefits. It may be easier to meditate in the morning as there are often fewer distractions.

Benefits include:

Improve mood
Boost productivity and focus
Lower levels of stress and anxiety

Here are some fo my favourite meditation apps:

Headspace
insight timer
1 giant mind

BREATHWORK

Take a second to notice how you are breathing without judgment.

Slow breathing techniques like these can help us tap into our parasympathetic nervous system. Promoting feelings of relaxation, alertness, and comfort, and reducing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and anger.

Techniques to support our parasympathetic nervous system:

Alternate nasal breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing
Box breathing

For more information on breathwork, read the blog “The power of the breath”.

MAKE A NOURISHING BREAKFAST

Starting your day with a nourishing and nutrient-dense meal helps to kickstart the metabolism and support energy levels throughout the day.

Focus on incorporating good quality protein, healthy fats, and fibre.

Breakfast ideas:

Egg omelette with mushrooms, garlic, goats cheese, spinach, parsley, and avo
Quinoa and buckwheat oats topped with hemp seeds, berries, and nut butter
Toast with avocado, scrambled eggs, broccoli sprouts, and chili flakes
Smoothie with frozen blueberries, zucchini, banana, collagen powder, mylk, flax seeds, and 1Tbsp of almond butter
Green smoothie

JOURNALLING

Journaling is the act of writing things down in a journal or diary.

Benefits:

Boosts Self-Awareness and Helps Identify Negative Thoughts Patterns
Can Help Improve Your relationships and Communication Skills
Improves mindfulness

BUT WHAT DO I WRITE?

Gratitude
Your thoughts and emotions, whatever comes to mind
Here is a great Journal prompts guide- https://www.harmonyabell.com/blog/04-my-journaling-style-3-steps-to-opening-your-life-to-joy

Here is an example of the morning journalling template I like to follow:

MY DAILY AFFIRMATION:

"I trust that I am on the right path"

3 THINGS THAT I AM GRATEFUL FOR:

The ability to move my body
Living by the ocean
My beautiful sisters

WHAT WOULD MAKE TODAY GREAT?

Connecting with a friend
Get on top of my emails
Spend 20 mins in the sun

FREE-FLOW WRITING (optional)

THINGS TO AVOID IN THE MORNING

1. Looking at your phone/scrolling

Can trigger a stress response.
Sets the tone of distraction for your day.

2. Making your routine unachievable

If you are not a morning person or creating a routine seems overwhelming... start small. Choose 1-2 activities that you can be consistent with and build from there.

3. Snoozing

Snoozing disrupts the REM sleep or dream sleep —which is a restorative sleep state. This can lead to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.

LETS PLAN YOUR PERFECT MORNING RITUAL

A plan helps to make sure that you will have enough time to complete your ritual.

Write down how long each activity will take and then work backward from your deadline to figure out what time you need to wake up.

For example:

- Make the bed (5 mins)

- Exercise (30 mins)

- Meditate (10 mins)

- Shower (10 mins)

- Get ready (10 mins)

- Breakfast (15 mins)

=75 mins.

If I need to leave home by 8 am, I need to wake up by at least 6.45 am in order to get through my morning routine. If you are a little slower to rise, give yourself some extra time, so you don't have to rush it.

Remember, it is not a race.

It’s about being present within each task to help you feel a sense of ease and relaxation before tackling your day. If this seems overwhelming, or you are not a morning person start with 1 activity. Do this every day until it becomes a habit then build from there.

Starting our day right can have such amazing flow-on effects for the rest of the day, week, and life! If you are struggling with motivation, and need help to stay accountable, Opt-in for the morning ritual challenge HERE.

For individualised support, Book a discovery call to see how we can support you.