I absolutely love my mornings. They're a time every day that's become sacred for me - an intentional space I've carved out for me to just be. Not having to be anywhere or anyone, I simply am.
It's a time to bring my energy inward, to enjoy my own company and to connect back with myself before the day carries me away.
By changing my mornings, I have changed my life.
How we start our day truly is a powerful way to not only set the tone for the day ahead, but to also cultivate a more positive outlook on life.
Whether we're conscious of it or not, we all see and experience life through a lens - interpreting what happens around us based on the state of that lens.
You could have the exact same thing happen every single day, but one day you might see it as exciting while the very next day you could see it as annoying. The event hasn't changed, in fact all events are neutral, it's how it's refracted through our lens that determines the meaning we give it and how we perceive it, i.e. is it good or is it bad?
When our lens becomes dirty from all the debris that sticks to it, like people's opinions or negative energy that we might take on, this compounds until we can longer see the event itself at all because everything appears grey and blurry - everything appears to be doom and gloom.
Because our external world is merely a reflection of our internal world, a dirty lens will keep us trapped in a negative thought-emotion loop that will then attract more of those seemingly negative events into our life.
We will attract everything that we do not want as the universe seeks to validate and match our inner state.
If you want to change your life, you have to take accountability for cleaning your lens so that you can begin to perceive the world around you in a clearer, more objective manner.
When you clean your lens and clear it of all that doesn't belong to you, you bring your energy back inwards and can operate from a place of clarity, peace and happiness - all states that are innate to who we actually are.
I didn't always have a morning routine - it's something I've built in the last 2 years. I used to 'fall' into my days unconsciously, usually stressed and anxious as I rushed out the door.
My alarm would go off, I'd snooze it once (maybe twice), I'd roll out of bed, feed the dogs, jump in the shower, get dressed, grab all of my stuff and head to the office. If I was working from home, I'd make a coffee after feeding the dogs and then immediately get behind my laptop.
My entire body contracts just writing this as I remember how things used to be - how I used to be - which feels like another lifetime ago if I'm honest.
When I started to treat my mornings as a sacred time, it truly was when everything started to change and I believe that it can be the same for you.
The Rituals
These rituals and practices have become my daily non-negotiables - they're free, easy to implement and accessible to everyone.
Consistency is key but we're also human and life can get in the way sometimes. So it's not about being perfect - it's ok if you miss a few mornings because you're catching up with a friend for breakfast or maybe your body just needs an hour extra sleep.
Be gentle on yourself, but allow these practices to become your default - the point you return to time and time again.
Easing into my Day
How you start your day actually starts the night before.
I aim to switch my phone on airplane mode an hour before bed each night which is typically around 9:00pm. This allows me to mentally switch off from the day just gone and the no-screen time means I have much better sleep.
When I wake up, I leave my phone on airplane mode until my morning routine is complete.
Do not check your phone for notifications first thing in the morning - this really is one of the worst things you can do for your inner state. The world around you will not implode if you don't check it the first hour upon waking, I promise.
I then open my curtains to let in some morning light, before jumping back in bed where I spend the next 10-15 minutes drinking water and allowing myself to wake up. I'm not doing anything, I'm simply being (and hydrating).
I love coffee and so once I'm hydrated and awake, I head to the kitchen to make my morning cup mindfully. I do this in silence and without any distractions, making a conscious effort to be as present as possible. I use an aeropress which is a great way to be present as there are multiple steps involved which becomes like a mini-meditation for me.
Coffee in hand, I retreat to a quiet spot (or even back to bed) where I read my book while sipping my coffee, consciously taking in the first few sips with pleasure and gratitude. I read for as long as I feel like I need to, but usually until I've finished my cup of coffee.
This simple practice has allowed me to wake up feeling excited for the day, as I know that for the next 45 minutes or so, I don't have to do or be anything. I get to start my day at an easy pace with something I love (great coffee), while expanding my mind by learning something from whatever it is I'm reading at the time.
Tips to get started:
- Get into the habit of putting your phone on airplane mode before you go to sleep and only turn it back on after you've showered/gotten dressed for the day.
- Buy a book on a topic that you're interested in, keeping it on your bedside or wherever you like to read.
- Find your daily "coffee", i.e. the thing that you can make mindfully in the morning to enjoy while you read. This could be a cup of loose-leaf tea, cacao or simply hot water with lemon - it doesn't matter. It's the ritual that's important.
Meditation
I can't emphasise enough how meditation has changed my life. If there's only one practice that you can do from this list, let it be meditation.
When I started to meditate properly back in 2020, it started as a way for me to try to quiet my racing mind and manage my anxiety, and it has just evolved into this beautiful practice that has deeply connected me with myself.
It's changed how I perceive the world around me and within me. It's helped me to detach from my thoughts and emotions, allowing me to operate in a place of objective awareness more and more frequently the more I practice. And it's allowed me to discover the essence of who or what I really am, behind the layer of thoughts and emotions with which I was once so attached.
Recommendations for beginner meditators
If you're new to meditation, I would recommend starting small by setting aside 5 minutes a day and then building from there. I remember thinking that 10 minutes seemed like a lifetime to meditate when I first started and fast forward 4 years, I'm meditating between 20-30 minutes a day and it feels like time flies! So be patient with yourself and focus on developing the habit above all else.
I would also recommend starting with guided meditations as it easier for the mind to stay focused. Headspace is a great app and resource to get started as they actually teach you how to meditate, and even have a free 10-day meditation basics course that you can follow.
The key is to intentionally set aside time every day, the same time each day helps make it consistent - I prefer the mornings. You will also need to find a quiet space where you won't be disturbed, so you can allow yourself to be fully present.
Recommendations for more experienced meditators
When I started to get more comfortable with meditation, I moved away from the guided meditations and started to explore the world of frequencies.
I won't get into much detail on frequencies here, but it really is a fascinating world to discover as you start to learn more about how our bodies operate energetically. The main idea to understand is that our bodies have an energy field all around them, with each of us vibrating at a certain dominant frequency depending on our inner state.
These frequencies are interpreted as an emotion by our bodies depending on the level of that frequency, which then generates certain thoughts, ultimately driving us to take certain actions - thus kickstarting an emotion-thought-action loop that determines our external reality.
Frequencies not only determine how we perceive our external reality, but also what we attract into our lives.
The good news is that we can consciously elevate the frequency at which we vibrate by tuning into higher frequencies, similar to how we can tune into a certain radio station.
I like to do this by listening to certain Solfeggio frequency sounds while meditating, for which YouTube has an endless supply. I do this intuitively, listening to my body when deciding which frequency I need that day whether it's love, healing, grounding or maybe a third-eye activation to connect more deeply with my intuition.
You can check out one of my favourite videos below, which was one I really connected with when I first started out. It helped me tremendously on my healing journey and the channel, Music for Body and Spirit, is a great resource in general with hundreds of meditation soundtracks - so have fun in finding the ones you connect with most.
Tip: use overhead headphones with decent sound quality to maximise the effectiveness.
A healing frequency to listen to while meditating, generating emotions of acceptance, love and joy.
Tips to get started:
- Set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day to incorporate meditation into your morning - this means you may need to go to sleep earlier too.
- Download the Headspace app and get started with their 10-day free Meditation Basics course.
Breathwork
Breathwork was one of the first things my therapist had me do right at the start of me seeing her, which was at the crux of my initial awakening period.
I was overwhelmed, confused, and emotional and felt like my world was crumbling (you can read more on this in the 'about me' section). Breathwork was what helped me to overcome those emotions so I could return to a place of peace and clarity, allowing me to connect with my intuition and know what to do.
Breathwork is also a great way to raise your vibration and tune into those higher frequencies that I mentioned above, and is a practice I've recently reincorporated into my morning routine now that I've carved out more time in my day.
I'm still learning a lot about the breath and breathwork itself, so I find guided breathwork videos to be super helpful with the one below being my favourite one currently for starting my day.
A guided breathwork routine to start your day and raise your vibration
Journalling
This is another practice that was truly life-changing for me and would be a close second behind meditation when it comes to prioritising which of these morning rituals to incorporate into your life.
When I started journalling, I thought I was simply getting all my thoughts and emotions out of me and onto a page, but really what I was doing was having a dialogue with my higher myself and connecting with my inner guidance system - something we all have.
Journalling showed me that we truly do have everything we need within us, including the answers to the struggles we face.
There is a power behind putting pen to paper, to physically writing down your thoughts, feelings, struggles, ideas and narrations. Not only does writing bring all of the intangible into the tangible, bridging your inner word with your external world, it also forces you to slow down and sit with the things you're writing about because you can only write so fast.
What then happens is that you start answering your own questions. You start finding the solutions to your problems - you give yourself the pep talk you needed and find that clarity you were seeking.
This is extremely powerful because what you're doing is connecting with your intuition. You're learning how to understand and communicate with that part of yourself that knows exactly how to guide you.
So don't overthink it. Grab a notebook and pen, and set aside 10-15 minutes each day to journal, finding a structure that works best for you.
Perhaps if you're starting out, you can use a journal with prompts and questions inside to help guide you. For me, I like having a blank notebook where I just write whatever comes to me - whatever is on my mind that day. This could be about things happening in my life, struggles I'm facing and how I feel about them, realisations and learnings I've had, or even about a concept I've read in my book that morning that I want to explore.
I then always end my journal entry with a list of 5 things I'm grateful for that day, really feeling the emotion of gratitude as I write them down.
Tips to get started:
- Take a journal and pen with you to the office and use the first 15 minutes to journal before you jump into your work - a great option if you struggle to do this after waking up.
- Buy a guided journal with prompts and questions to help you focus.
Silence
Have you ever stopped and taken the time to observe how unsilent our lives are? We're constantly surrounded by noise - externally and internally. It's actually exhausting when you first come to realise this.
Incorporating silence into my day has truly been profound.
As we embark on this inner journey, we see, feel, realise and learn a lot about ourselves and life - and I believe silence and space to be key in helping all of this to integrate into my body and subconscious, allowing everything to sink in and be absorbed.
It's also in these moments of silence and space where I feel most connected to myself, and when I get ideas and 'knowings' that seem to come out of nowhere, but that always lead me to do the right things and to be exactly where I need to be.
So how do I do this?
It's easy - I make a conscious effort to avoid distractions during certain times of my day. I don't listen to anything (no podcasts or music) and I don't take in any new information or stimuli.
For me, this includes during the time I make my morning cup of coffee, while commuting to places, while eating food, after an ice plunge, while washing the dishes or while on a walk - I call these 'in-between' activities which are things we do before/after doing the actual thing. These are the easiest times for me to create the space to simply be with myself and my thoughts - no distractions.
Silence will reveal yourself to you - Anthony De Mello
Tips to get started:
- Identify 2-3 moments in your day where you are in an 'in-between' state and commit to making those 'silent times'. An easy one is driving to the office without the radio on, just be there in silence.
My Typical Morning Routine
My morning routine has evolved over the last 2 years of me doing it as I've found what works best for me, so I encourage you to do the same.
The routine below is my default, meaning it's how I start most days, but I of course allow for flexibility if things come up, making sure I return to this routine as soon as I'm able to.
Time needed: 75-120 minutes
What you'll need: a quiet place where you won't be disturbed, a book, a journal and pen and headphones (over-ear ones are best).
- Wake up and hydrate | 10-15 min
- Make coffee mindfully | 10-15 min
- Get cozy, drink my coffee and read my book | 15-20 min
- Breathwork and meditation | 30-40 min
- Journalling | 15-20 min
- Jump into my day!
The key is not to overthink it, you just need to start.
And you can start small - first focusing on including a 5-10 minute meditation into your morning before adding on some breathwork or journalling. It's about being consistent and building the habit, allowing your intuition to guide you towards what resonates with you most.
Commit to your mornings, make the time and give yourself 3 weeks of consistent daily action, and watch as your life transforms as you transform.
