Do you have a routine for your mornings, evenings, or both? There are many benefits of both – such as starting and ending your day with intention, decreasing stress, and increasing your focus and clarity.
It has taken me a while, but I have found a morning routine that I enjoy, but am still working on finding a routine for my evenings. My evenings seem to get away from me and the next thing you know I am tired and just want to get into bed and sleep.
Maybe you are not a morning person and instead, you have an evening routine. Either way, it is okay. The key is it needs to feel good to you. You don’t want your routine to add more stress to your day. I know some people that prefer not to have set routines. That is what works for them. However, for me, having a morning routine helps me set a positive tone for my day.
Personally, I love, love the early mornings. I am more productive, alert, and motivated in the mornings. It is when I feel my best. My morning routine goes something like this: I wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 am without an alarm. I stay in bed and energetically clear myself and my space. I sit in a feeling of gratitude for getting a good night of sleep, for the bed, I am laying in, for my home, for waking up, etc. I get out of bed, grab my water and head into my office and meditate anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour. I journal for about 10 minutes and then do some light stretching.
On the weekends, I don’t always get up as early, so my routine is a bit different. At a minimum, I walk through my energetic clearing and I meditate.
This is what I have found feels good to me. It doesn’t feel forced or like I am doing something I “should” be doing. It helps me start my day with a positive intention.
The evenings get a little muddy for me. I don’t feel as sharp or motivated. I know that when I meditate, read and cut out screen time up to an hour before bed, I feel better in the evenings. Sometimes I can be consistent with this routine and sometimes I am not. I guess I have not found my evening routine just yet. I am still experimenting to find what feels the best to me.
How about you? Are you a morning or an evening person? Do you have a routine for either? If you don’t have a routine, I encourage you to experiment with some of the suggestions below and find what feels good to you.
Here are some ideas you can include in your morning and/or evening routine:
Meditation. A short meditation, which can be before you get out bed, can be a guided meditation, or you can focus on your breath, repeat a mantra, or set an intention for your day. An evening meditation can also help you relax, unwind and prepare for sleep.
Light stretching, exercise, or taking a leisurely walk. This will get your body moving and your blood flowing. Improves your flexibility and posture.
Journaling. In the morning you can write down your intention for the day. In the morning or evening, you can write down what you are grateful for, or do a brain dump writing down everything that is on your mind. It can be healing and freeing to get things out of your head and onto a piece of paper.
Water or hot tea. Drink a glass of water to rehydrate your body after sleeping. You can add a slice of lemon or lime. Hot decaffeinated tea before bedtime can have a calming effect to help you sleep (may need to drink earlier in the evening to avoid getting up in the middle of the night).
Avoid screen time during the first 30-60 minutes of waking up and before going to sleep. If possible, charge your phone in another room overnight.
Read. In the morning, this could be a motivational book. In the evening it can be a novel or poetry – something that you enjoy.
If you already have routines that fill you up. That is great! If not, hopefully, you now have some ideas to get you started.
I like to think of my morning and evening routines as another way that I am taking care of myself and showing myself some love.
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” Rupi Kaur