When I enrolled in my Wilderness Medicine class (MEDS 465), I did not expect assignments to not only focus on medicine, but also self improvement.
One of our first assignments that I have really grown to love was to create a morning routine. A morning routine is a ritual that you take every morning when you wake up to help you get ready for the day. Most of us have a morning ritual already (brush teeth, wash face, etc), but we don’t take much time to intentionally bring mindfulness into our routine.
To build your morning routine, you can slowly add small tasks to your already made routine. This helps you ease into your new schedule and also happens to be the easiest way to form new habits!
For me personally, I have always loved to sleep in. If given the opportunity, I will definitely sleep more if possible. Thus, I wanted my routine to help me feel energized each morning and retain some structure in my crazy college life. Thus, I incorporated some key steps to help me wake up before tackling the day. I also have been interested in expanding my meditation practice more, so I decided to add it into my morning routine as well to help form the habit. (PS. Headspace offers free meditation memberships for LA County residents – try it!).
MY MORNING ROUTINE
- Sit up and take 6 deep breaths
- Watch “The Wake Up” on Headspace while drinking a full glass of water
- The Wake Up is a short 5 minute show/talk that focuses on mindfulness. I find that the bright light in the video helps wake me up while staying in my cosy bed :). Drinking water helps REALLY energize me to wake up as well!
- Complete a Headspace meditation of my choice
- Get ready for the day while listening to an audio book
- Yoga and physical therapy
This new routine has really helped me get in the productive mindset before each day even starts. I wish I had done this earlier, this has seriously been a game changer for helping me stay energized in the mornings and attentive in classes. Good luck with creating your new morning routine to tackle each day!
