Steal My Happiness Boosting Morning Routine

Can a happiness boosting morning routine really exist?

There are a lot of people out there that certainly think that having a morning routine makes their whole day flow better.  They talk of feeling calmer, more grounded, more organised, more productive, healthier and, yes, happier.

I have to admit that when I first read about the idea of having a morning routine, I was sceptical.  I was tired and overwhelmed and didn’t see how getting out of bed earlier to do a few seemingly random activities could make things better.  

I just wanted to sleep as long as possible.  Can you relate?

Luckily for me, I decided to give it a go as an experiment and see what happened.  I immediately noticed that when I did take some time out to have a morning routine, I felt better.

That doesn’t mean it was always easy leaving myself enough time or that I had a routine fully formed straight away, but even allowing a little space to breathe in the morning was beneficial to my mood and happiness throughout the day.

And the more effort I put into making a morning routine a habit?  The more I got back from it and the longer those feelings lasted during my day.

So what do I include in my Happiness Boosting Morning Routine?

Here’s what it looks like:

Get up quickly

I don’t lounge around in bed long after I wake up as that only makes me tired again and start to feel fuzzy in the head.  Having trouble getting up? Countdown from 5 and then launch yourself out of bed.

Dress

I usually have my clothes ready to go from my night routine, so it’s quick to get changed ready for the day.

Warm water

It might be because I’ve got kidney disease (thankfully easily managed), but I wake up feeling dehydrated in the morning.  I have a mug of warm water with a squirt of lemon to quickly get fluid back into my system.

Breakfast

This used to get skipped a lot because I either didn’t have the time or felt too queasy to eat.  Now I have found something I can stomach every morning (good ol’ porridge) and it helps to spark some energy into my day.

Housekeeping

Most mornings I put on a load of laundry (it’s easiest if I’ve preloaded the machine the night before), corral any new laundry into the hamper and make the bed.

Time outside

My hubby has to leave for work by 7 am, so I head outside to see him off, feed the horses, go for a walk and water the veggie patch.  This gives me a good half hour of being outside which I find helps to ground me as I watch the nature around me.

Journal

I have a journaling session where I reconfirm my plans for the day, think about what I’m grateful for, how I want to feel that day, note my top 3 tasks and possibly my top goals if I’m lacking a bit of motivation.

Final prep

I hang out the laundry, then prep any snacks that couldn’t prep the night before and I start the rest of my day 🙂

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All up, my happiness boosting morning routine takes about an hour and a half to two hours, but yours doesn’t have to be this long.  In fact, when you are just starting your morning routine, I would suggest keeping it to about half an hour to begin with.

You don’t want to overwhelmed, so start small and maybe just aim for getting out of bed without hitting snooze and having breakfast every single morning to kick off.

Prioritise your activities based on what is going to make you feel healthier within yourself and do that first.  Once you have got that down pat, try adding a few more nourishing activities.

Use my ‘Craft Your Nurturing Routines Workbook’ to brainstorm activities that you would like to include in your happiness boosting morning routine.

Here are some other activities that you could include in your routine:

Exercise

Exercise actually boosts your energy levels, so if you can bring yourself to move your body and get your heart rate up a little first thing in the morning, it could benefit you later in the day.

Listen to music

Music can be a great mood influencer, so use it to your advantage and listen to something upbeat or calming depending on how you want to feel.

Listen to a podcast or read an article

Get your thoughts flowing by learning something new or considering someone’s opinion on a topic of interest.

Shower

I tend to have my shower at night but you might find that a shower in the morning helps to wake you up.

Avoid electronics

Just like it’s a good idea to avoid electronics before bed, you might want to avoid them in the morning too so that you don’t get sucked into the dramas of work (or the world in general) too quickly.

Do something fun

Take some time out to do something fun and remember what you enjoy in life.  Maybe read, spend quality time with family, hug a pet, do some craft, etc…

Do something uplifting

Meditate, recite affirmations, pick a motto for the day, choose a tarot card, visualise, talk to a friend etc…

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I hope this has sparked some ideas of what you would like to include in your morning routine!  

Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect to start with, you can change it up as you go and find out what activities work to bring the best version of yourself to life in the morning.

My morning routine really does help to keep me grounded, nourished and focused on what is important in my life and I hope it does that and more for you!

What is the one thing that you most want to include in your happiness boosting morning routine?

Need help figuring it out?  Grab your free workbook to do just that!

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