My Mental Health Morning Routine

I used to be that person who woke up and went at the day full force.

Now I have a systematic approach to help me save time and hone in on what I need to accomplish each day. Is it a perfect system? No. But it works for me and I thought I would share it with you guys today. :)

The benefits of a morning routine

• Going through the same steps each morning will help your body and mind wake up.
• Instead of stumbling out of bed and feeling overwhelmed by what you should do first, taking the time to go through your routine can calm you down and get you focused.
• The morning is the prime time to take care of yourself and spend a few minutes working on a project before you lose all your energy.
• Small healthy habits compounded over time will produce huge benefits.

My morning routine:

1. Rise early (equals get to bed early)

This semester I have made it my goal to get out of bed by 6:30am. I'm lenient with this goal, because I would rather sacrifice an additional few hours by gaining some extra sleep than lose a whole day by going through it bleary eyed and exhausted. But the point is still there.

Try to get up earlier than you want to.

Fight back against your flesh and take control of your body. You can use this extra time to take care of yourself and increase your productivity.

2. Drink water and eat breakfast

This has been said time and time again: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There was a time when I skipped breakfast and the mornings never ended well. I was always hungry long before lunch, which meant I would choose an unhealthy snack to hold me over, which in turn didn't equip my body with enough energy so I'd turn to coffee... Do you see the downward spiral?

Take the time to eat, friend. Even if it's something small. Fuel your body so you can conquer your day!

My personal favorite breakfast right now is a plain toasted bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jelly. It's sweet and salty and really easy to make.

3. Shower/wash face

Taking care of your skin is super important! Especially if you have sensitive/acne prone skin like myself. When I wash up in the morning, it's easier to wake up, control my bedhead, and feel good about myself because I've washed away yesterday and entered into today.

Do you have a skin care routine? Let me know in the comments below!

4. Quiet time

I like to set aside 10 to 20 minutes to journal it out and focus on a scripture really sets the tone for my day. Somedays it's easier to focus than others, but it really helps to journal out my thoughts and work through anything I'm feeling before turning to focus on school or whatever the day holds.

My favorite scripture:

1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you"

5. Worship Music

I have a playlist on Spotify I call Determination because I am determined not to let the negative voices in my head win out. These are the power praise songs that I adore, and I try to only add songs that really move my heart, turning my focus to Jesus.

Follow my Determination playlist here

One more thing: Find what works best for you.

I've tried doing other things in the morning, like making massive to-do lists, spending time on a project, and doing a daily clean, but I slowly removed these habits because they became overwhelming or quickly became unnecessary. You will have to go through a little bit of trial and error to find out what works best for you. It's all about how much time you have, the habits you want to enforce, and what helps you focus us.

I hope my morning routine will be a helpful template and perhaps spark some creative ideas of what to do tomorrow morning.

Action step: Write down one thing you're going to try adding to your morning routine tomorrow.

How will you make the most of your mornings?