Let’s Talk Morning Routines

I do my best to keep as many healthy morning habits as I can each day to feel my best and to have a resilient mindset no matter what the day brings. 

This post contains affiliate links for products I love. As an Amazon Associate In-Chelle-Igence earns a small commission on these links at no cost to you, and the links will always be marked with an asterisk.

I’ve incorporated many morning routine pieces over the years. It’s so important to start your day right and not get sucked into the vortex of doomscrolling first thing. Our brains, bodies, and nervous systems need to be supported, not taxed, to work well for us. I can get a little bit rigid in my routines and beat myself up if I don’t do everything I know is good for me. So as I get older I’m trying to listen to my body and take into account the season I’m in and use tools to support my mental and physical health and not add more stress by being hard on myself. 

So what is a morning routine and why is it beneficial? Simply put it’s a set of habits that you go through when you wake up. They help set your day up to be productive and focused rather than hurried and chaotic. Everyone will have habits and routines that work best for them and it’s good to try things out and see which ones work best for you. When work is chaotic and we are flying all over and shooting all day, my routines can keep me grounded and healthy so I make good choices and don’t find myself frazzled and exhausted. When we are slower and at home I can really settle into choices that recharge my body and brain. Here is a list of things I’ve incorporated over the years, some of them I do all the time, some come and go depending on the season I find myself in. 

-Tongue Scraping*. One of the first things I do when I wake up is scrape my tongue. After a night of sleep and not eating or drinking I like to remove the coating that’s left on my tongue. Tongue scraping is said to remove the bacteria in your mouth that can inflame your gums and cause bad breath and cavities. 

-Warm water with lemon. Lemon is fantastic for fighting inflammation, giving your digestive system a kick with its citric acid, aiding your body’s ability to fight bacteria and the water will boost hydration levels after a night of sleep, firing up your metabolism to boot.

-Bone Broth. We also got very into bone broth a few years ago. I don’t drink coffee but I love a warm mug of savory broth with a hit of lemon. It’s a great way to start the day with protein, hydration, and collagen and to support gut health. 

-Gratitude Practice*. Sometimes life can feel sucky. Work is rough, the house is a mess, the world seems to have gone crazy, and you just need to find something to smile about. I find that looking for the simplest of things to be grateful for keeps me grounded and reminded that this too shall pass. 

-Walk outside in the sunshine. I like to do this as early as possible to get some sunshine and Vitamin D on my skin. Especially when the weather has cooled off and the brisk morning air wakes me up better than anything with caffeine. Sometimes I take a Peloton instructor with me and sometimes I just listen to the birds chirping and the wind rustling through the trees while I chat with God. 

-Read a personal development book. I love to learn new things and reading something educational versus scrolling through social media sets my brain up for productivity and not comparison. 

-Morning Pages. I learned this morning practice from Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way*. Sit down first thing in the morning and write three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness thoughts. According to Julia,  “Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand.” When I have gone back to mine my own morning pages I find little nuggets I want to expand on and lots of words dedicated to the weather. 

-Make your Bed. I know it sounds crazy but a tidied-up bed can create a subtle feeling of tranquility and competence. You’ve accomplished a task early in the day. I know for me clutter makes me restless so when I see a made bed, I can go about my other tasks without the distracting need to clean up. 

-Oil Pulling*. I go in cycles with this one. Oil pulling helps reduce the amount of bacteria in the mouth as well as reducing inflammation and improving gum health. I have two baby teeth still and I’m doing my best to keep those little deciduous molars in there so keeping my gums healthy is paramount to me. 

-Workouts. Sometimes we get up at the crack of dawn and hit the gym. It’s usually class driven but it gets us up and out of the house and shifts the order and timing of the morning routine. Getting a good strength workout with some cardio and stretching is a fantastic way to start the day. 

-Meditation. When I head out to the Park for a walk, I usually habit stack with a 10-minute meditation when I’m done before I head inside. I will also often find a rock or a patch of grass and take my shoes off to put my feet on the earth and get some grounding. According to Science Direct “bodily contact with the Earth’s natural electric charge stabilizes the physiology at the deepest levels, reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves blood flow, energy, and sleep, and generates greater well-being.”

-Vitamins. I am taking a slew of supplements these days to help balance out my unstable hormones, up my Vitamin D and reduce inflammation. I’ve never been a good pill taker, often forgetting for days at a time. To help me remember, I’ve added the habit to my morning routine and got myself a cute pill organizer* with my morning and evening doses all ready to go. It’s in the cabinet with my electrolyte packets* and collagen powder*, also part of my morning routine so I see it as soon as I open the cupboard. 

-Skincare routine. I always do my skincare in the morning. Consistency is key when you want to have happy skin. I splash with some cold water, lather up with my R+F, tone, and add eye cream and serum. When I get back from my walk and get showered I add my sunscreen before heading out for the day.

What do you incorporate into your morning so that you can have a productive and focused day? It’s okay to let the season you are in dictate what you need first thing in the morning. On the days when I launch a new blog post, I am on my phone earlier and longer than I would like to be but I understand that is part of trying to grow something and I get back to my more healthy routines on the other days of the week. For instance, this was today’s morning routine. 

Tongue Scrape

Wash, toner, eye cream and serum to wake up my face

30-minute walk in the Park

10 min Meditation while grounding with shoes off

French lesson on Duolingo

Cup of Brodo 

Lemon Water with Vitamins

Make the Bed

Tomorrow it may look a little different and on days when we have to be on a flight at 0 dark thirty, it will DEFINITELY look different. But just like consistency in any other area, I will do my best to keep as many healthy morning habits as I can each day to feel my best and to have a resilient mindset no matter what the day brings.