Grow Your Most Inspiring Morning Routine

Anyone else's perfectionist tendencies get in the way of what could be a very chill morning? No? Just me? Well, this is what I do to combat that, and thrive in the morning.

Everyone who’s anyone in the world of Instagram and the blog/vlog world has a morning routine that they swear by. I should know, I have tried following 87 of them in the last 5 years of my life (probably) and I love them all, feel the benefits of them all, and yet inevitably, gradually, my commitment fades as I find them to be unsustainable and unrealistic for me as a daily routine.

Sure, it’s easy to imagine spending an extra hour and a half preparing my vibes on a Sunday morning when there’s nothing else going on, but real-life-Monday hits and it’s crazy how fast school, work, home, events, kids, and other countless commitments can easily get in the way of my desired bliss. More often than not, I run into that shit-storm Thursday morning when I’ve drowsily snoozed my alarm and I’m already late to a coffee date I’ve rescheduled twice.

So, why does this keep happening?

Why is it that I end up dropping parts of the morning routine day by day as life seems to get fuller and fuller? The meditating and the fiber-packed green smoothie are the first things to go. Then the journaling, the stretching, the gratitude and affirmations...you get the idea. Eventually all I’m left with is a day-old water bottle and a drive through green chile and sausage breakfast burrito for my rushed daily commute. This cycle of picking up and dropping fad routines usually leaves me feeling bad about myself for not following through after only a week or two. On occasion, I blame my products or the fact that I don’t have the exact charcoal exfoliating diamond infused face cream that influencer x is slathering on their face. I tell myself that I would totally drink turmeric and pepper water every day if I just had that BPA-free, off-pink, silicone molded mason jar so I could enjoy the morning detox while simultaneously being able to Instagram my health and wellness enriched morning. *influence*

If you ask me (you haven't, but I'm telling you anyway),

this isn’t how self-care morning routines are supposed to make you feel – stressed, anxious, or unbefitting the good life. All because it doesn’t look like the YouTube thumbnail attached to the vlog you were watching when planning this all out. I do agree and can attest that having ANY sort of something – BIG or smol – that helps you get out of the bed in the morning and kick starts your inspiration for the day is a win. Heck, if it gets you excited, tastes great, or makes you feel in any way good, that's a win right there for your mental and physical wellbeing. I’m telling you that it can be simple. It doesn’t have to be the exact same every day. Don’t think that it won’t work if it’s not executed to perfection every time. It doesn’t have to be all detox and 10-page journaling, but it can be. It doesn’t have to be fragrant, seasonably appropriate candles, and perfect Mantra Meditation, but it can be.

What I’m trying to say here is that I love morning routines. I love when someone makes a commitment to take care of themselves through big and small acts, especially at the start of their day. What I don’t love is when a morning routine doesn’t quite fit your lifestyle, leaving you discouraged and unlikely to try implementing similar habits in the future. It’s healthy, helpful, and very vibey to get clear on what you are trying to improve, what solutions work best for you, and implement it in simple, incremental steps.

To help with this, I’ve taken parts of these countless morning routines that I love and smashed them into a simpler version that I look forward to every day. I don’t punish myself if I don’t execute it flawlessly, I just brush myself off and try it again tomorrow. I also change it up depending on what else is going on in my life. Sometimes I ice roll more because I’ve been drinking more rosé. Sometimes I podcast more because I’m needing some business inspo. You get the idea.

To prove my point, the following

Routine Pieces I love:

Drinking warm lemon water

Making a Matcha or Golden Milk Latte

Taking a shot of apple cider vinegar and water

Drinking turmeric water

Making my bed

Having a green smoothie or overnight oats

Oil diffusing or lighting a candle

Morning music

Gratitude and affirmations

Meditation or short breath work

10 - 20 minutes of Cardio, HIIT, or Pilates

Using peppermint essential oils to wake up

Journaling or intention setting

Ice rolling

Stretching

Grounding

Going on a run

1 minute of COLD water at the end of my shower

Oil pulling

Drinking “Sexy Water” (post to come)

Listening to a podcast

Staying disconnected from my phone

What my actual morning routine consistently looks like:

Everything above in brown

Practical, functional, approachable, and beneficial. Seriously, my mornings consistently involve quick and easy warm lemon water, ice rolling, music and making my bed, a small workout of some kind, and a blast of cold water at the end of my shower. A collection of small behaviors that I can do in any order that help me start my day with some positivity and inspiration. I LOVE all the other habits I’ve listed above, and I do a lot of them when I have the time and when it feels right. So don’t beat yourself up, unless it’s with love, affection, and gratitude for doing your best and being a badass.

What are your thoughts on morning routines? I’d love to hear what works for you! Comment below or send me a message.

TLDR:

Ask yourself what’s missing in your mornings? What are you trying to accomplish? What do you hope to gain?

1. Take a look at some of the behaviors I’ve found beneficial, create a foundation by picking one or two to start with and build them into habits through consistent use over a couple of weeks.

2. Reassess often! Is it practical? Is it providing health, inspiration, motivation? Make changes as needed to fit your lifestyle and needs.

3. Build up gradually and intentionally to your personal perfect morning routine.

4. Don't beat yourself up for missing a day or two...or three, you’re a busy badass after all.

xoxo,

Trishae